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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25139698">The House of Hades</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HK44/pseuds/HK44'>HK44</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon Rewrite, Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Torture</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:01:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>41,589</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25139698</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HK44/pseuds/HK44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. Jason and Leo are stuck in Tartarus. The other five are struggling to find their way to Greece to seal the Doors of Death and, hopefully, find their lost friends on the other side.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson (One-Sided)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Mark of Athena</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>At that moment, the chamber groaned, and the cavern ceiling exploded in a blast of fiery light.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Jason</b>
</p><p>
  <span>There were worse things that could happen other than almost getting hit by falling cars Jason supposed as he leapt from the Argo II. For example, he could actually get </span>
  <em>
    <span>hit </span>
  </em>
  <span>by one to the falling cars. Percy was attached to his side as he flew down towards Annabeth's weak cry. Cars kept raining down around them. Percy released him, landing into a roll and bursting forward to grab Annabeth. Jason didn't have time to watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The damage that had been done was only worsening with every second. Rubble and gravel practically poured from the sky. Dodging every piece was difficult. He could barely focus on what was happening against the thundering slams of chunks of the roof against the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Athena Parthenos gleamed brightly despite the cloud of dust, unharmed and undamaged. Everything bounced around it, as though a force field had been erected around the statue. Jason flew forward towards it, grabbing Percy by the back of the shirt and pulling him up towards the safety of the underside of the statue, Annabeth held close in his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damages finally ceased as the Argo II settled into place. A rope ladder dropped down, everyone skinnying down and running over to them. Once reached, Piper leaned into Jason's side. Her finger traced a bleeding scrape on his arm. He smiled thinly and looked over at Annabeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her ankle was poorly bandaged. Bruising littered up the side of her legs. Spiderwebs were attached to her. Somewhere he noticed a trailing line of fine silk leading towards the pit. He couldn’t tell how much of it was curled around her skin but he wasn’t going to take any chances. For all he knew there was something poisonous in the webs that could leech into her skin and kill her right then and there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm gonna cut the webs," he said, pulling out his </span>
  <em>
    <span>gladius.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth blinked at him. Dirt and dust covered the portion of her face that wasn't being shielded by Percy's chest. She looked down. "Oh. Shit. I didn't even think-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason shook his head. "You found the statue." He squatted, cutting through the silk, wary against touching it. "What happened?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She released a breathy noise, caught somewhere between a sob and a laugh. Her story wove around them as Jason cut away the strings. Hazel and Piper joined him on the ground. As she spoke, both of them worked together to rewrap her ankle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bridal style, Percy hefted her into his arms. "Don't whine, Wise Girl."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She rolled her eyes but there was nothing but relief in them as she gazed up at him, the story ending with a content sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason squeezed her shoulder, amazed. "You did all of that? With a broken ankle? Amazing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She laughed. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Some</span>
  </em>
  <span> of it with a broken laugh."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers. “You made Arachne weave her own trap! I knew you were good, but Holy Hera—Annabeth, you did it. Generations of Athena kids tried and failed. You found the Athena Parthenos!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone gazed at the statue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do we do with her?” Frank asked. “She’s huge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll have to take her with us to Greece,” Annabeth said. “The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The giants’ bane stands gold and pale,” Hazel quoted. “Won with pain from a woven jail.” She looked at Annabeth with admiration. “It was Arachne’s jail. You tricked her into weaving it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As though he was taking measurements, Leo raised his hands to frame the statue. He cocked his head. “Well, it might take some rearranging, but I think we can fit her through the bay doors in the stable. If she sticks out the end, I might have to wrap a flag around her feet or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason considered the statue and then the ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo had a lot of optimism on that. All he could envision was a bumper sticker with the words “STEER CLEAR, GODDESS STATUE ON BOARD” on the pedestal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth inhaled sharply, shaking her head when everyone looked at her worried. “What about you guys?” She readjusted her grip about Percy’s neck. ‘What happened with the giants?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason shook his head. “We can tell you on the ship.” He looked over his shoulder, the chasm looming at them. Cold air blasted from it, a shuddering reminder of death and darkness. They all followed his gaze before nodding in agreement. “We should move the statue before anything else comes down. If the floor collapses…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo snapped his fingers. “You’re right!” He patted Frank’s back. “You and Zhang here can help me secure it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank rolled his eyes but turned into a giant eagle, Leo hopping onto his back. The two of them soared away. Jason reached out for Annabeth. Immediately, Percy stepped back protectively. His hands clenched around her tighter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Percy, I can get her up to the ship faster.” He looked over at the rope ladder. “You can’t carry her up on your own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could see Percy’s hesitation to let her go so easily. Not when he already had to do that. Not when he’d just gotten her back. But he nodded and slid Annabeth into Jason’s arms. She loped her arms around his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go, Superman,” Annabeth sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does that make you Lois Lane?” Jason joked, laughing at Percy’s hardened expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just get going, Grace.” As Jason lifted into the air, wind swirling around him, he saw Percy reach for Nico. “Hey, let me-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico pulled back immediately, instead leaning against Hazel who helped him hobble back over to the ladder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo was yelling orders at Festus. Grabbling lines shot down from the ship, securing around the statue’s neck. Jason made sure Annabeth was seated comfortably on the deck before he flew back down to help Frank secure the lines.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning into a person, Frank grabbed the statue’s outstretched arm. He hung from it with one gorilla arm. The other hooked the line around the state’s arm before he threw it outwards to Jason. Jason caught it, flying back to the boat and securing it at Leo’s order.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could fly back off the deck, he heard Annabeth yell out to the people below.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The floor beneath them was collapsing quickly. Piper had already scaled most of the ladder, Hazel behind her. Percy was helping Nico follow them up, his weakened form struggling to climb. He was already attached to the rope but the floor under Percy’s feet was cracking. Frank and Leo were too busy securing the lines to notice what was happening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason jumped off the railing, reaching to grab Percy when a blast of air from the crevice knocked him off course. He fell to the ground, groaning as he rolled over metal and rocks. As he stood up, a brick fell from the sky and smashed into the back of his head. He collapsed again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jason!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t tell who was calling out to him as he raised, dazed. An arm secured around his waist, tugging him forward. The smell of the ocean - Percy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should be on the boat,” he slurred, blinking rapidly. His vision kept blurring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t leave you behind,” Percy huffed. The rope ladder dangled before them, the others on deck, Nico halfway there. Percy unhooked himself, pushing Jason into the ladder. “Can you grip it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason blinked. He could feel the ladder under his hand but he couldn’t think straight. His head throbbed from heat, pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My head hurts,” he mumbled, slumping forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit.” Percy grabbed him. Jason felt himself heave up, curled half around Percy’s side, half around his back. Keeping himself attached wasn’t as difficult. A warm hand pressed to his temple. “Come on, just tighten your gri- </span>
  <em>
    <span>FUCK.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were falling backwards as the ground lurched beneath them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason fell from Percy. Another blast of air hit him in the face, clearing his dazed mind as he watched, panicked as the floor caved, sending Percy rolling towards the imposing chasm before them. He yelled, his head a flame of pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hand shot up. The wind warped around him, grabbing Percy by the leg. With all his focus, Jason managed to hurl him towards the boat before he blacked out briefly. When he came to, he was still on the ground. Blood had dripped over his eye. He grunted, raising to a stand. Wiping away the blood, he stared at his hand for a second, caught off guard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wound wasn’t bleeding anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. No time to think about that. He needed to get on the boat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A grappling hook smacked him in the chest. He fell down again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Grab on!” he heard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached for the rope, curling it around his wrist as he held on tight. But the ground lurched again as a giant chunk in the north corner broke and shattered into a giant pit below. He swore, stumbling back. He hefted himself into the air, speeding towards the boat. Leo’s hand reached out to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He managed to get a grip on the other. Resting his feet against the railing, he let out a deep sigh of relief when the statue’s pedestal smacked into the stable doors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo’s eyes widened as Jason fell again. His hand tightened around Jason’s but it did nothing to secure him safely. The railing, already cracked, broke and instead of pulling him back up, Leo fell forward with him. Jason shouted as he yanked Leo into his chest, safely guarding him from the painful crash below.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pain erupted against his back and the back of his head, spiking the world into sudden darkness. Once he came to again, he felt nothing under his legs. Leo was shouting towards the boat, He struggled to wrestle his way out of Jason’s grip, which made no sense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weren’t they still falling?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why else would the world be so empty around Jason’s legs?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dazed, he blinked at the touch of Leo’s hands against his face. “Jason, we need to get up to the boat!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boat…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason tilted his head back. They were on the floor, he realized, his legs teetering over the edge of the pit. Leo had plunged his hammer into the cracks, stopping them falling completely in but with the way everything was shattering around them it wouldn’t hold them for long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded, rolling his weight to pin Leo below him as he lifted one leg to dig his foot into the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then the floor broke.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>another rewrite. i'm constantly causing myself more pain than necessary</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. I: Jason</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“How long do you think it’s been?” Leo asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason kept his eyes closed. He couldn’t see the sky, only darkness. Above them. Below them. Around them. No matter how hard he tried to get a handle on the air around them. The gravity of Tartarus kept tugging them down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Him and Leo were still clutched tight together. They’d been hanging onto one another ever since the floor shattered beneath them. Jason refused to let Leo go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Feels like years,” he murmured.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t how I thought I’d die,” Leo said. He tilted his face just a bit from where it had been nestled in Jason’s shoulder for the last week or year or month. His breath tickled Jason’s cheek. “Fiery explosion seemed like the bigger chance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason couldn’t disagree. He tightened his hold on him. “You’re not going to die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Death to Jason meant failure. How many times had Lupa stalked the ground around him while he was on his hands and knees, glaring down other wolves, other children? How many times had he been pushed onto the ground, teeth snapping at his neck, yellow eyes glowering down at him? He couldn’t remember the exact count but he knew it had happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t even mercy, he supposed. His pack stood behind him, their hands bloody, mouths red, and they took punishment in place of his death. It’s what strove him to do better each time, to </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop</span>
  </em>
  <span> failing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He squeezed Leo close to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The memories were faint. They were vague. Part of him feared they’d never return, not in full, not like Percy’s so clearly had, but he knew one thing. He couldn’t fail Leo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t let him be punished for his failures.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The air around them grew hotter. It had been, every so often, bursting heat that stung against Jason’s lungs. Despite the air brushing around them as they rushed to certain doom, he only felt an increase in scorching heat. No relieving cold. Part of him wanted to disentangle from Leo. Find some relief, but he couldn’t bear it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he kept his eyes closed and held on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t stupid. There was no way they were going to survive the impact. He had no sanction to his powers. Not with the gravity of Tartarus yanking them down, like a claw around his ankle. And Leo - what did he have? Fire with nothing to use it on, not unless he wanted Jason to burn, and the ability to build with nothing to use but the scraps he probably had lying around in his belt. If he was lucky, he could maneuver them around and hope that his body softened the blow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That Leo would make it out. Even if he didn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo’s hands dug into his side. Jason’s breath hitched. Opening his eyes, the world had changed. No longer were they plummeting through a giant hole in the sky but rather through a sky itself. Red clouds hung in the air below them. As they fell through a batch, Jason tasted blood on his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The land below them was black. If it weren’t for the chasms bursting fire, illuminating the earth, he would’ve thought they were headed for another giant pit. Sulfur burned in his nose. He gagged on the taste. The world around them was expansive now. Rushing felt less like a pull and more like a fall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I guess this </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> how we die!” Leo shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason would’ve shook his head if he could have. “Not yet!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took every ounce of his focus to rally the air around him. It was hard with the sulphur burning in his lungs, the sudden light disorienting him, but as they continued to plummet, he felt the air give way around him. If possible, he squeezed Leo tighter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Water rushed around them. It was impossible to see but he wasn’t dead, he realized faintly. No, he hadn’t been murdered on impact. But with the way the cold water was freezing into his core, he was sure he’d drown. His grip on Leo had fallen away with the shock of the hit. He struggled to resurface, only for a hand to shove at his shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sank, arms like lead. Strange wailing echoed in his ears. Unholy, inhuman. Anguished.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Failure</span>
  </em>
  <span>, voices whispered. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You’ve failed them all</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
  <em>
    <span> It’s pointless.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His head resurfaced, an arm around his waist. “Jason!” He blinked past the water dripping from his eyelashes. “Jason, focus!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gods, he’d failed him. He was supposed to keep him safe, supposed to keep everyone safe. That’s what a leader did. And instead he was here, a deadweight keeping him down. Drowning Leo along with him. He closed his eyes and pushed Leo away.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just sink</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>JASON</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Icy water filled his lungs. Like an elephant had fallen onto his chest, he felt his innards shatter. The voices only grew louder, echoing their wailing sentiments. It was strange. This contentment he had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to sink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’d be so much easier than trying to stay afloat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heat exploded nearby, burning the ice away. He choked on water, feeling himself drop to the sandy bottom of the river. Gagging it up was hard but he pounded his own chest. Lungs cleared, he gasped desperately. The screaming echoes of the river turned into pained screeches. Like his own personal sun, Leo was burning ahead of him. The water shied away from his flames.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know how long I can do this!” Leo shouted. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>SO DON’T LET GO.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The flames vanished as soon as Leo’s arms wrapped around him. It should’ve burned him. It did but not as much as it should have. Instead, he felt warm, safe. Comfortable. The water hit them in the next second but Leo shoved them up. Sand kicked up around Jason’s ankles. He couldn’t see where Leo was taking them but after a few seconds they resurfaced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo hoisted Jason over his back. Misery was sinking back into his head, horrible thoughts. He wanted to drown. Everything was so pointless. They weren’t going to win. Leo wasn’t even there for the ship. How would they travel on to fight Gaea?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How would they do anything?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wasn’t it all his fault?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the emotions freezing Jason’s core, Leo swam forward. One hand kept clenched on Jason’s hands, locked around his neck. Jason closed his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pointless</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fire burned against his wrists. Almost as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished leaving behind pain and a semi-refocused mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop trying to drown me, Grace!” Leo snapped, another burst of flames burning Jason’s face. “We’re almost there!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Almost there? Jason looked past Leo’s head. Sandy shores laid before them. Almost as dark as the water Leo was pulling them both along. He felt his feet drag along the sandy bottom of the riverside. Leo released him. Jason rolled off, grunting as he fell to his back. Water trickled against his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tempted, he almost let it drag him back but Leo grabbed the back of his wet shirt and yanked him violently back before he collapsed to his knees. Free from the water’s miserable bounds, he felt his mind clear. It only helped to point out how much worse being on land was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t breathe. Beneath him, the sand, no longer softened by the water, felt more like glass. As he rolled onto his stomach, he felt it all stab into his skin. On his hands and knees, Leo was a foot ahead of him, wheezing violently. Jason struggled to raise up to his feet. His arms were burning. Red prickled skin stood out to him, a violent contrast to how white he normally was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leo,” he wheezed. “We need- we need to find-” He collapsed back to his knees. The sand cut into his pants, slicing his knees. “Shelter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo groaned. “I think we should give up, Jay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t pull me out of the water-” Jason coughed, spitting up water and sulphur induced phlegm. “-just to have us die here.” He helped Leo to a stand, slinging an arm around him to keep him close. He wrapped Leo’s arm around him in turn. “Hold onto me.” He inhaled deeply, finding no relief in it. “Can you dry us off? Or we’ll die of hypothermia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pressing his face into Jason’s shoulder, Leo took a deep breath. He coughed violently, eyes bugged out. But finally he managed to send one more violent burst of flames around them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason wasn’t the science expert. But he had a feeling constantly burning sulphur wasn’t going to end well for them. Not with the way the redness on both their arms and faces only increased with the burst. The acidic air was only eating them alive. Leo’s fire clearly just worsened it. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to go back to the river.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. No. No, they had to focus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Scanning their surroundings, he saw so little he could use. The pit they’d fallen into had vanished. Whether it’s view had been swallowed up by the clouds that grace the concrete-gray sky or it had just closed up once they cleared the bottom, he couldn’t tell. He dropped his gaze to the world ahead of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Upstream the rivershore dropped off the edge of a cliff. Downstream there was a blue Fiat crashed into the ground. Transparent glass shards glittered against the black sand-glass, like frost. Against him, Leo was only weakening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instinct told him to head to the car, see if he could shelter Leo under it before he went scavenging for something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, that could help, but he held back. A silk cocoon lingered under the car. He remembered Annabeth telling them about how she’d tricked Arachne into weaving her own jail. There was no evidence of a squashed giant spider in that cocoon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had no intention of leaving Leo somewhere a monster could be hiding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned away and began walking upstream. His legs were lead weights. Leo struggled to keep pace with him. After several long painful minutes, they got to the cliff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Below them was a drop of more than eighty feet. The river below them was pure fire, almost lava-like if it weren’t for the wicks of blue and purple that spurred amongst the red. It lit up the jagged border of the river with horrifying shadows. Even so far above it, the heat was intense. Sweat dampened his newly dried neck. It began to bead at the top of his brow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked down at Leo. His eyelids were drooping. If it hadn’t been so clear he was dying, it would’ve just looked like he was trying to fight back sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason looked back down to the fire roaring below. Distantly, he thought of Percy, renewed, reinvigorated by water. He thought of baby Leo, sitting in an active fireplace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made his choice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wouldn’t matter much if it didn’t work. They were both dying. Whether Leo survived the river or not was inconsequential. Neither one of them stood a chance without some kind of healing artifact and who was to say they would even if they did? At least if the river of flames reinvigorated him, he could set up a shelter on the riverside and use the river to keep himself alive. Until he figured out a plan to escape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo was a wily boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could figure out something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason had faith in him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a ledge leading down to the riverside. Jason considered it but couldn’t see himself supporting Leo on the way down. It was too thin. He’d barely be able to climb down by himself. Leo’s weight, sinking with every second, would only pull him down. The air was so hot and thick. It was too stagnant. He couldn’t muster up a breeze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not unless they were falling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He groaned, hiking Leo up against his chest. He almost fell back with his weight but stumbled forward instead. He tried to speak, tried to tell Leo to think healing thoughts but his tongue was too heavy. The acidic air was stinging his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closed them and stepped off the edge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The air should’ve been cooling but it wasn’t. It only aggravated his burning rashes. Burning heat neared as they fell. With one last thought to hope, he dropped Leo into the flames below and sent himself whirling to the sand just on the edge of the river. It cut into his skin. He bled out. His eyes burned but he couldn’t think of anything else to focus on in his last few moments. He wanted to wait it out for as long as possible. To see his friend emerge dramatically from a river of lava like a phoenix, reawakened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he couldn’t hold on. With all his focus, he squeezed his hands into tight fists. The pain snapped him awake just enough. Blood wet against the webs of his fingers. He rolled back onto his stomach, clawing his way forward. Glass shards stabbed him. They cut into his bare skin and sliced through his clothes. He ignored the pain. He needed to keep moving.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leo</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Leo, please just come out. I can’t die knowing I killed you, please</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A flaming hand shoved at his face. He flattened to the side with a groan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I cannot </span>
  <em>
    <span>believe</span>
  </em>
  <span> you </span>
  <em>
    <span>dropped </span>
  </em>
  <span>me into this river.” Leo rolled him over and squeezed his face. “Jason!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo’s skin was no longer red or blistering. The redness that had been burning on the underside of his eyes had vanished. He wasn’t coughing or choking on his own breaths.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re alive,” he wheezed. His eyes fell closed. “Try not to miss me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit- </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Leo’s hands slapped against his cheek. “Jason, you asshole! You do not get to drop me in a river and then </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span>! What a </span>
  <em>
    <span>jerk</span>
  </em>
  <span> move.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being a jerk was fine if Leo was alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could die with that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As though he was falling asleep, he felt himself sink out of his own skin, and heard Leo’s voice yelling at him. Despite the fire roaring less than a foot behind him, he felt only coldness. Maybe that was a testament to how truly hot the fire was. Or maybe he just couldn’t feel anything anymore. Not with the acidic air devouring him alive. Pain turned to a dissociative state of emptiness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From his blistering tongue, the taste of blood choked at the back of his mouth. He couldn’t move himself enough to swallow around it. Leo’s hands, a burning fire against his skin, rolled him over and pulled his mouth open. Blood dripped out and gasoline shoved in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gagged on the taste. Reyna had once bet him he couldn’t eat an entire chilli pepper, joking he was too much of a white boy for it and she had been horrifically right. One nibble sent him begging for milk. This was so much worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It purged through his body, up through his sinuses and throughout his veins. He felt like he was being lit on fire from the inside. Smoke exhaled from his lungs. The air, already so thick and hot, burned even more around him. Boiling hot tears dripped from his eyes. Convulsing violently, he considered what was happening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The final torture of his already pained life. A cosmic joke from the universe. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is how you tried to kill your friend</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Burn in his place</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was a memory, itching at him. Something familiar in those thoughts. Lupa’s voice. Other children. Slashes against his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Punishment in place of death. Right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clear air shot through him. Desperate for it, he gasped. Leo pushed on his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Breathe slowly,” he said. “If you breathe too fast, you’ll hyperventilate.” He pressed Jason’s hand to his chest. “Just follow me, Jay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leo-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up and </span>
  <em>
    <span>follow</span>
  </em>
  <span> my breathing,” he ordered. His eyes, usually a soft brown, were near black now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The intensity had Jason shaking but for a reason other than fear. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Under his hand, he felt the rise and fall of Leo’s chest and tried to match his own breathing to it. Emotions were piling into him. A hammering storm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t like it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Too many thoughts, none of them concrete, none of them </span>
  <em>
    <span>helpful</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Just vague snippets he could barely understand. Memories that meant nothing to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When his breathing had finally relaxed, Leo let him go and sat down beside him, staring at the flaming river. Jason rose slowly and looked at him. “What did you do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I figured… if the fire could heal me, maybe it could heal you.” Leo’s nose scrunched up. “It clearly worked. But… </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> different than mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason looked down to his arms. The blisters were healing quickly. The blood on his hands no longer ran, glass shards popping out of the skin. He wiped them away. “You’re made of fire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo let out a bitter laugh. “Right.” He kicked at the sand. It swept out into the fire, vanishing with a soft </span>
  <em>
    <span>fwoosh</span>
  </em>
  <span> of fresh black flames. “Lucky me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know what to say to that. Whether they were cured of Tartarus’s poisonous surface, getting out of the place would be another thing entirely. He looked over his tattered clothes. Despite the miracle healing, the air was still too stagnant. The sky above them wasn’t even the real sky. A pathetic imitation stained in red and gray.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least Leo still had his fire. What use did Jason have, cut off from the world? Flying took up so much of his energy now. A relatively easy form of travel turned painful and difficult. And his other powers? He looked at his hands. Powers he didn’t remember. Powers that reacted more on instinct than anything else. Lightning? Where would it come from?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could fight. He still had his gladius.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He cracked his neck. Separated from the rest of the group, Leo was his priority now. Taking care of him, ensuring his safety - that was the only thing that mattered. Making sure he made it to the end. To the Doors. To everyone else. A familiar feeling shot through his gut. Climbing… somewhere. Cradling… someone. Blood? Howls?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squeezing his eyes shut, he resisted the urge to scream. He needed to stay in control. Focused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There was a car,” he said. “Downstream of the other river.” He looked at Leo’s. “It’s crashed but… do you think you can get it running on your brand of Leo-magic?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo snorted. In his hands, he’d already reconstructed a mini statue of the Athena Parthenos from the black glass sand. “I think that’s a good bet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason grinned. He looked back to the cliff towering above them. “Flying is… hard now. The air is different here. I can’t… I can’t figure it out but…” He looked around. “There was a ledge I saw before we fell. We can try to climb back up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding, Leo disassembled the statue. He lit his finger on fire, welding the glass until it had formed a thick vial. He made three more before passing them onto Jason. “We might need this later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shoved his hands into the river, pulling out flames. In his hands, they flickered from blue to red to purple. Jason was careful to hold the vials away from the rest of his skin. Leo was careful to drip the fire down one finger. The process of filling up each container took more than a few minutes. Leo fashioned glass corks and plugged them closed before pocketing them away in his toolbelt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stood up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nausea tripped through his stomach. He held it back. Leo stepped up close to him. Relief slid through him. He was a safe haven for the solo member of his current… pack. He grimaced at the thought but being raised by wolves clearly had its downsides.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank and Hazel had been kind about it. Both of them were used to it, helping explain the strange instincts he’d been holding back for months before shit started hitting the fan consecutively and they had no time to talk to him about </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself</span>
  </em>
  <span> or who he used to be or anything really. Leo seeking him out as a haven though - that felt calming. Scratched the itch he had to hold the other close and growl at everything around them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So. Climb the wall, fix a smashed car and drive to the Doors of Death, hopefully before the gas runs out.” Leo clapped his hands. “Easiest thing since sliced bread.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed. As quickly as the sound came from his throat, did his skin prickle at the back of his neck. He tilted his head to the side. His hand curled around the gladius pinned to his side. Something was wrong. A rustle in the stagnant air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could hear-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instinct kicked in. He shoved Leo down before pouncing back to his feet. He had to protect Leo. He was their only way to safety.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A giant spider skidded across the jagged sand. As she spun around, she hissed viciously at them, uglier than Annabeth had described. White silk pooled against the ground. Quickly Jason tracked the web. It clung to Leo’s hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A blast exploded from his hands, conducting through his sword. Electricity bloomed, white hot and spiking. It hit Arachne straight in the chest. And he immediately passed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gasping wildly, Jason shot up. Leo was the first thing he thought of. Where was he?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason blinked rapidly, taking in his surroundings. Where was </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He groaned as he shifted around. Heat whisked at his skin. He grunted and looked to his side. Leo was sitting comfortably, hands curled around the semi-shattered bottom of the steering wheel. Around them, a blue car door. The shattered window had been shielded by another slab of metal. The taste of gasoline lingered heavily on his tongue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wha-” He exhaled sharply. “What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Leo started, “you blasted a giant spider lady into monster dust, immediately passed out. I thought she’d fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>murdered</span>
  </em>
  <span> you or some shit so I pretty much drowned you in the magic healing fire water - shit, was that racist?” He shook his head. “Whatever, Piper’s not here. Don’t tell her I said that. Or, like, explain </span>
  <em>
    <span>context</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason rolled his eyes, waving Leo on to continue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, so you’re unconscious and I have to crawl my entire way up a wall, hoping that I can yank your jacked ass up once I reach the top. As it turns out, I do have muscles but </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> those kinds of muscles.” He sighed. “Not that it mattered. The cliff drops no matter where you go. I figured it out when I took the car apart to bring it down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You couldn’t fix it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll never know.” He closed his eyes, his hands clenched the steering wheel so hard, the already broken plastic cracked another line. “I lowered everything down with the leftover webbing. And then the fucking engine decided to roll off the sand and into the river. I even went in to get it but it already melted.” He tapped the metal shielding them. “So! I made this lean-to.” Digging up the sand in his hands, he shook it out from his palm. Glittering glass shards trembled back to the ground. “Melted the sand to blend it into the rest of the wall.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason laughed. “That’s really smart, Leo. I wouldn’t have thought of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shrugged. “You learn how to blend in when you live on the streets.” He fiddled with his fingers. Anguish echoed in his voice. “I used to make a lot of these.” Jason wanted to console him but as soon as he opened his mouth, Leo cleared his throat. “Tartarus, huh? Is it just monsters?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The topic change was evident. Jason wanted to ignore it. But Leo’s eyes begged him to follow the question. His entire life was comedic, jokes and laughter and this was a situation he couldn’t laugh off. He didn’t want honest talks. Never did. Even if Jason wanted to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Submissively Jason ducked his head. He wondered if that had been another wolf thing he’d picked up. “Everything the gods hate really. Monsters. Titans. Giants. Pretty sure some stories say that certain people were even sent here as punishment.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>By his father</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chose not to divulge that. If push came to shove and they sought him out as some kind of revenge against his father, he could use that to distract them from Leo. Let him make it away safely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo bit his lip. “You… you fought Titans, right?” Jason nodded. Leo swallowed. His Adam’s apple bobbed. Jason could already hear the question before he asked it. “Do you think they’ve reformed yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really hope not,” Jason said. He scratched his ankle. “It took… what. Five years? For Saturn to be risen? And that was with active help. There’s no way they’d come back that easily with nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about Dirt Face?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason closed his eyes. “Even she can’t resurrect someone that quickly, right? She’s not an underworld deity.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo said nothing but nodded. There was no agreement in his eyes as he looked down at the small fire he’d constructed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tartarus, the man, not the place, was Gaea’s husband. Jason didn’t doubt that he was annoyed at the prospect of being forced to jail his own children. If he could, would he not speed up the process? Well, Jason wasn’t going to mention that possibility. He barely wanted to admit the rest of it. That the Titans were Gaea’s favourite children. If anything were more of a cosmic joke, it would be this. He destroyed them on his own plane and now he would be destroyed by them on their own plane.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As long as he could get Leo out though, he didn’t care. Storm or fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood up. “We should keep moving.” He held his sword tight in his hands. His eyes remained steady on Leo’s rising form. He watched as the other scuffed out the fire with his foot. “If… If we’re attacked, you should go on without me. I’ll keep them distracted from you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo stepped out of the shelter of the lean-to and glared at him. “What, you think I’m not capable of fighting?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are but there’s no sense in both of us dying,” he said, grabbing Leo’s hand. “We stick together until then. If necessary, we split and you-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He yanked his hand out of Jason’s hold. “You literally admitted that you can barely use your powers here but you think I’m the weak one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason recoiled at the thought. “I don’t think you’re weak!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do!” Leo shouted. “Why else would you </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking</span>
  </em>
  <span> say that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anger slapped him hard. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Because I don’t leave people behind!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t what he meant. But as soon as the words spilled from his lips, he knew what it sounded like. Leo went frozen solid before him. Shock trembled in his eyes, hurt, anger, shame. Jason held his breath, unable to think.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leo, I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever,” Leo grumbled, slapping his hand away. “Let’s just fucking go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason trailed a foot and a half behind him, aware that Leo wouldn’t want him so close. It dug at him to apologize but everytime his breath hitched with the words, Leo shot him a look that so clearly yelled “</span>
  <em>
    <span>shut the fuck up</span>
  </em>
  <span>” and he went silent again. Instead he renergized his focus on maintaining alert.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Under the heat, he felt himself grow sticky. Trodding along was difficult. Hunger had started to ravish him. Thirst burned at his lungs. He looked to the river and grimaced. It had only made things worse, hadn’t it? A torture tactic, he supposed. Punishment for the punished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He squeezed his eyes shut. He needed to stop thinking about his past, his forgotten memories. It only distracted him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He’s being punished, Grace</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Leave him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. No. No, he couldn’t leave him. He looked at Leo’s back and strode forward quickly until they were side to side again. Leo said nothing but squatted and scooped up some more glass sand. Jason peeked a few glimpses as Leo fiddled with the glass, welding as they walked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Displaying a black glass dagger, he shot Jason a vindictive look and flipped it in his palm a dozen times. Expertly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason wanted to ask. Leo never fought with other weapons. He preferred his fire, his hammer. How could he flip it around himself without worrying of being stabbed? Without stabbing himself at all? There was something there. Something he’d never spoken about, just like his life before the Wildness School. Hidden.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason bit his tongue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not now. Later. When they settled down for shelter and rest once more. Bonding was key. Grooming, feeding, sleeping together. He squeezed his eyes shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck off</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought at his clawing instincts. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is not the time. Hazel isn’t here</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How long was he going to have to deal with these stupid instincts eating him alive? It wasn't fair. This violent urge he had to protect. No one else understood it. They focused on survival of self and maybe one other person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pack mentality, the one he'd learned under Lupa, focused on survival of the group. Especially if you were the leader. If you could prove yourself strong, you would be fought for. And Jason had never thought of anyone in his pack as </span>
  <em>
    <span>weak</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He knew that even before Hazel told him in a sleepy whisper the night they all set sail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But how in the name of Pluto was he supposed to explain that when he barely understood them. He'd already pissed Leo off for voicing his emotions and that hadn't even been how he'd meant them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn't leave people behind. Not his people anyway. His pack needed to live. He'd rather die than watch them fall. He'd rather be offered up for torture than hear them scream. But those were just words people could so easily say. Action is what counted. He wouldn't be able to prove them to Leo until it happened and he wouldn't be trying to catch the attention of any lurking Titans anytime soon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blood splashed across his vision, pain, anguish, a hot face. He didn't understand what it meant, if it meant anything at all. It angered hot under his skin. Was it a battle? The battle of Mount Othrys? Battling Krios? Battling anyone?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was it? What were the flashing memories trying to tell him? What were his instincts trying to urge him to do? Why couldn't any of it be clear for once in his life?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wondered how much clarity he used to have as praetor, if he had any at all. Or was he just always a ball of angry instincts and confusion? The lack of knowledge weighed on him almost as heavy as the air around him did. He was tired of not knowing anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was tired of walking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slowed to a stop, grabbing Leo's wrist. Leo glared at him and wrenched his wrist away. Luckily he didn't keep storming on ahead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason tapped his earlobes and pointed just beyond them to a turn in the stretch of shore they'd be trudging along. Leo turned his head, listening in. He nodded. The two of them lowered themselves and hustled closer to the wall, inching forward. As they did, the voices ahead became louder. He stilled behind a boulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instincts roared at him to take the lead. In the event that whoever, or whatever, was on the other side chose to turn the curve, he could shield Leo and take the brunt of any damages. But he had a painful feeling that it would only worsen things between them. So he kept close to Leo's side instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He steadied his own breathing, focusing on the push inhale and exhale of his lungs. His feet dug into the sand. He gripped his gladius tight. Attack on sight. Nothing here would be a friend. Everything would be an enemy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the monsters grew closer, their weighted steps echoed. He listened closer. A strange </span>
  <em>
    <span>scrap, clump</span>
  </em>
  <span>. A limp?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Soon?" one of them asked in a raspy voice.</span>
</p><p><span>"Oh my gods!" said another voice, younger, more annoyed. "You guys are </span><em><span>totally </span></em><span>annoying! I told you, it’s like three days</span> <span>from here."</span></p><p>
  <span>A chorus of growling and grumbling issued. Jason steadied himself on the balls of his feet. Judging from the variance in tones, he guessed about six of them. Maybe more. Monsters didn't tend to travel in large groups though so he doubted there'd be more than ten at the least. Twelve, if the fates were feeling particularly cruel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twelve might be a challenge with his unstable powers. But, dependent on size, he could battle down most of them. The weight of their footsteps and the pitch of their voices indicated they were human-sized. If they turned out to be a little larger, he would just have to work with that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder,” said a third voice, gravelly like the first, “if perhaps you do not know the way, young one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, shut your fang hole, Serephone,” said the second girl. “When’s the last time </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>escaped to the mortal world? I was there a couple of years ago. I know the way! Besides, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>understand what we’re facing up there. You don’t have a clue!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Earth Mother did not make you boss!’ shrieked a fourth voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More hissing, scuffling and feral moans – like giant alley cats fighting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At last, Serephone yelled, “Enough!” The scuffling died down. ‘We will follow for now,’ Serephone said. ‘But if you do </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>lead us well, if we find you have </span>
  <em>
    <span>lied </span>
  </em>
  <span>about the summons of Gaia –”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t lie!” snapped the second girl. “Believe me, I’ve got a good reason to get into this battle. I have some enemies to devour, and you’ll feast on the blood of heroes. Just leave one special morsel for me – the one named Percy Jackson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason and Leo shared a look at Percy's name. Excellent thing he hadn't fallen in. Running into a long past enemy a mere, what, hour or two in? Percy's life was already so upsetting. If Jason had run into Krios only a second into being in Tartarus, he knew he'd already be a smudge on the jagged black walls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Believe me,” said the second girl. “Gaia has called us, and we’re going to have </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>much fun. Before this war is over, mortals and demigods will tremble at the sound of my name – Kelli!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo clapped a hand around his mouth. His stifled laughter still wheezed out through the cracks between his fingers, quiet and breathy. Jason pressed his free hand over Leo's. They both waited in bated silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly though, Kelli?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least Serophone had some ancient-ness to it. Kelli sounded like the name of a girl at the mall calling her dad because she needed a lift for all her purchases. Suburban and hip. Not the name of a monster spanning centuries upon millennia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The voices didn't grow any closer. Instead they began to turn faint, the strange mismatched clopping of footsteps pattering away from them. Jason risked a quick peek over the edge of the boulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Five women staggered along the riverside on mismatched legs – mechanical bronze on the left, shaggy and cloven-hooved on the right. Their hair was made of fire, their skin as white as bone. Most of them wore tattered Ancient Greek dresses, except for the one in the lead, who wore a burnt and torn blouse with a short pleated skirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Interesting choice</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Jason thought. That must've been Kelli.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slipped back down to a squat. Leo dropped his hand from his mouth. He caught Jason's focus with a pointed wave.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do you know what they are? </span>
  </em>
  <span>he mouthed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason twitched his hand from side-to-side then pointed his head and mimed something flying away. Leo winced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew he knew what they were. Somewhere in the locked box he called a brain, he knew. They were certainly familiar enough. Lessons and classes in spotting monsters, overcoming them. Years of training. Down the drain in one snap his step-mother's petty fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closed his eyes, focusing. Mismatched legs. Dresses. Girls. Hair of fire. Skin like fallen snow.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skin so white you could compare it to the powder of freshly fallen snow</span>
  </em>
  <span>, someone had said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A girl, younger than him, had asked, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Like vampires?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Chrissy, you have to stop reading those books</span>
  </em>
  <span>. An annoyed sigh and grumble. </span>
  <em>
    <span>But yeah, basically.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Jason had laughed quietly, sharing a look with Reyna. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They're called empousai.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened his eyes. "Empousai. They’re like vampires.” He shifted closer to Leo, face so close to his he could almost smell the gasoline still lingering on the other’s mouth. “They can shapeshift. Manipulate you with their words.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like Piper?” Leo whispered back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded. “They prey on men.” He bit his lip. “I think we might be a little screwed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a girlfriend,” Leo huffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t really matter to these kinds of monsters,” Jason grumbled back. He closed his eyes. “But they’re talking about the Doors.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo ducked his head. The Doors… If they had any chance of finding them, they’d need to follow the path set before them by the empousai. Even if it did have the risk of them caught, overpowered and immediately then drained of their blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s only five of them,” he said. “If we can avoid their charmspeak, we can overpower them if we need to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo’s eyes cut into him. “You don’t think I’ll just leave you behind then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not what I meant,” Jason said, but he couldn’t stop himself from adding, “But if the opportunity strikes, seriously. Leave me behind. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>cannot</span>
  </em>
  <span> have you die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A look of confusion flashed through Leo’s face. His body eased back. He was creating distance. Jason did not like that. His words had been too much of a confession, too sudden for someone who wasn’t used to it. Used to him. He was barely used to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It means we don’t have time to talk about what it means,” Jason grumbled. “The more we talk, the farther they get away, okay? I’ll tell you later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo’s voice was nothing but bitter as he hissed, “No, you won’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I will</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Jason grabbed Leo’s face. The touch seemed to shock him. His eyes widened and he flinched into Jason’s touch. “But we </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> have time right now, okay? So come on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Following a group of vampiric monster girls along a river of fire had never been part of Jason's vacation plans. Now that he'd actually done it, he was beyond certain it never would be. In fact, he was beginning to think he wanted to avoid rivers altogether.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The empousai weren't particularly fast. Every so often, they'd slow done to argue amongst themselves. When they did, Japan would hoist Leo behind another boulder or jagged hole from the cavernous walls around them. They'd wait with baited breath, hoping they hadn't been caught.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The monsters being slow did have it's benefits in some ways though. It meant that the two of them didn't have to rush too quickly. Walking through Tartarus was like pushing through molasses. Difficult and exhausting. He couldn't imagine trying to trudge along any faster. He already felt like he was wading through syrup.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The humidity dripped around them like a giant weight. He wondered if this was what holding the world felt like and hoped he'd never have to compare it. When their rashes came back in full force or they needed another burst, Leo would uncork a bottle of fire and they'd each take a sip. Leo's hand on his throat, his own attempt to ensure Jason was healing instead of burning, was comforting, even if his eyes were unfairly guarded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At one point the two of them hid behind a scattering of rocks. Ahead the empousai had stopped bickering. Now they were descending on a carcass, pulled halfway into the glassy shore. Jason couldn't pinpoint what it was but watched with envy as they devoured the body whole. His own stomach growled at the thought of feasting like that. Once they reached the same spot, all they saw were a few splintered bones. Leo grabbed them and shoved them quickly into his toolbelt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They carried on, wary about what was sure to occur to them if they were caught.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few more miles, Jason guarded Leo as he refilled one of the emptied bottles. The empousai had vanished over the edge of another cliff. Leo corked the bottle back up and the two of them hurried along to catch up. Peering over the edge of the cliff, they saw yet another giant drop. Below them, the empousai were hopping from ledge to ledge with ease. Jason's stomach crawled as he watched. The ridges were far too skinny. Climbing down would take too much time and energy. There'd be no way they'd be able to follow without losing track of the monsters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked past them. The river kept flowing down, spilling off the edge of the cliff and filling up another crevice in the earth. The shore was no longer made of black sand. Now it had turned into what looked more like volcanic ash, dark gray spreading like a flat plain. Black trees began to crop up the further he looked. Between the trees sat giant yellow bubbles. He watched with disdain as monsters burst forth from each one, like babies exploding from eggs, and hobbled away into the horizon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The horizon wasn't any better. The gray-red sky vanished into a giant cloud of dark fog. The fog brimmed like a storm. Halfway towards the fog the flaming river met another river of blackened liquid, probably the one they'd fallen into first and merged to form a steaming crevice that trailed onwards to the fog.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up to the sky, wondering he could spiral another burst of energy to fly them as far ahead as possible. Winged demons flew through the bloody clouds. He chewed his lip and looked back down the cliff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can try to fly us down," he suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I thought you couldn't work the air here," Leo said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason shrugged. "I can try. Besides-" He pointed to the fog. "-that's where they're all headed so we don't technically need to follow them anymore. We just have to focus on the river until it meets the other one and then follow the point where they merge. Even if flying down does make me pass out again, we won’t have to worry too much about losing track of the empousai."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo stared at him. His eyes were narrowed and his fingers were flying at his side. Nails tapped against the hilt of his glass dagger. He shook his head. "There has to be a way for you to fly that doesn't make you pass out. This is still </span>
  <em>
    <span>air</span>
  </em>
  <span>." He gestured loosely. "Maybe if you rewire what you think of as </span>
  <em>
    <span>sky</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it'll be easier to manipulate."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The red clouds lingered above his head. Jason considered them and the gray sky. He remembered the way it felt to fall through it. The taste of blood on his lips. He grimaced. "I really don't want that to be my concept of sky."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Agreed, but what other choice do we have?" Leo said. He looked down at the ridges. "There's no way we're getting down there without you Superman-ing." He glanced back at the glass sand. "I could try to weld a ladder, I guess. It'll take a lot more time. The drop is at least, what, a hundred feet?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the least.” Jason considered what Leo had suggested. "If I'm going to rewire my brain, you might as well start. You'll probably be more successful than me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo nodded and stepped back. Jason watched the empousai finally reach the bottom of the cliff. The five of them stopped to bicker. As a monster burst free from its egg, they grabbed a hold of it and began to feast again. The monster was huge, rippling with black-red fur. Jason didn't have a clue what it was but he turned his gaze away from it. Pained screeches echoed into the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on the sensation of the sulphuric air against his skin. Hot, heavy, acidic. Everything he'd ever conducted had been pulled from the world around him - air currents, electricity, storms. Primarily oxygen and nitrogen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But air was air, right? If the sky above was the sky of this world, would that not mean he had some level of control over it? Limited control, like with the venti, but existing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a half hour, he meditated on the concept, trying to rustle up a breeze into the stagnant burning air. He couldn't generate a thing. It wasn't even that it was refusing to listen, it just </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn't. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Behind him, he heard Leo huff as he worked. Below him, the screeches of the monster had died off. Beside him, the heat of the flowing river just made everything hotter. His skin prickled. He focused on moving the burning air around him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made no dent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Leo tapped his shoulder. He startled but rose and helped him lower the glass ladder down the side of the cliff. It dug into the ashen earth below. Carefully, he took the first plunge. Once he'd reached the bottom, he tapped the side of the ladder and watched Leo climb down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo took in their new surroundings with him. “I swear, whoever designed this place really needs to tone down the dark and evil vibes. Rainbows would be a lot nicer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason snorted. “If this place was covered in rainbows, I think I’d be more scared.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A quiet grunt of agreement issued from Leo’s throat. They began to meander on. Jason felt the earth beneath his feet give way with every step. His shoes scuffed against something smooth. He slowed his speed down until Leo was only a step ahead before leaning down to shift the ash out of the way. It was only a thin layer. Beneath the debris was a smooth blackened earth, warm to the touch. As he pressed his hand harder to it, he felt it seem to move under his touch, as though breathing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His own skin crawled as he realized what it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tartarus was not only a place but a deity in his own right. The urge to bite into the flesh beneath him ached in his jawline. He hurried on, brushing the dirt that stained his hands off on his tattered pants. There were worse things than wanting to eat a deity, he supposed. He could’ve thrown up the liquid fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was it even cannibalism, he wondered? It wasn’t a gut instinct to </span>
  <em>
    <span>devour</span>
  </em>
  <span> but more… destroy. Sink his teeth into flesh until the victim beneath him was nothing but a bleeding shell of a person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked around. If Tartarus were the man and place all in one, what were the ridges on the cliffs? What were the cliffs? Teeth or bones? Were the trees ahead meant to mimic hair? That would make the yellow bubbles the monsters were bursting through more like pimples than eggs. He scrunched up his face at the thought. Monsters were just reanimated pus.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Gross</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought. His stomach squeezed at the thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If the cliffs were bones and the trees were hair, where were the eyes? Was the man watching them now? It was hard to tell. Ever since they’d fallen in, Jason had been feeling on edge. Far too visible in a place he had no interest in being. He supposed that was part of the feeling of being seen, but by who? Did the deity realize they were there as they trudged along or did he assume they were just another batch of monsters, strolling along for freedom in the black fog?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stilled as they began to approach the end of the cavern and into the open plains. Hiding behind one more giant fallen rock, Leo leaned against the wall. His breathing was laboured and heavy. Upon sight, Jason felt his own chest begin to quake at the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both took quick sips of the bottled flames. It singed his tongue but his energy came back. His stomach flopped unhappily. The wounds along their skin began to heal once more. Leo removed his hand from Jason’s throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re gonna be exposed if we keep going.” He looked at the river. “I can try to weld us a canoe or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason shook his head. “We can’t guarantee we won’t run into something that could just shoot at us from a distance. And even if we got lucky and reached the merged point without diverting down one of the split paths, there’s no guarantee that the canoe, or </span>
  <em>
    <span>us,</span>
  </em>
  <span> will withstand the merged water.” He ran his thumb over the hilt of his sword. “At least if we stay on land, we can battle monsters and keep going.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Monsters. He paused and looked around the edge of the rock. Ahead of them, he saw a monster burst forth from a popped bubble, scampering forward only to be yanked into a cave entrance. Screeches echoed and then died almost as soon as they appeared. He looked forward to the plain ahead of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blisters - </span>
  <em>
    <span>pimples</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his mind supplied unhelpfully - of earth strayed away from the rivershore. “If we keep to the riverbank, we should be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And if need be, he could shove Leo in where he’d hopefully be able to last and stay safe again. Not that he was going to mention that plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo’s fingers resumed their rhythmic tapping against his thigh but he nodded and they carried on. The riverbank was steaming against Jason’s skin. He felt like he was being baked alive. Leo seemed to be faring a little better than he was, which was good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jagged spires cut across the plains from where the cliffs started to end and the tree-ridden plains began. The cave entrances that were scattered around them were dark and silent. The silence did make him feel anymore safe. He wished he could fly, but try as he might, he still couldn’t move the stagnant burning air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they cleared another jagged rock spire, he felt his skin prickle. The subtle shift of earth behind him. He went still, grabbing Leo’s arm. Leo stilled at his touch. Jason hefted his sword into the air. It glinted against the darkness around them. Leo flipped his dagger in his own hand, taking in stock of the world around them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The river was roaring in Jason’s ears. Behind him, the earth shifted again. Everything was amplified now. Hearing, taste, smell. The sulphur air burned hotly against his throat. He refocused on the sound of the earth moving. A rock shifting. Giggles. He tilted his head to the sound. It was behind him, then across from him, then ahead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were being surrounded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, </span>
  <em>
    <span>boys,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” an empousa laughed at him as they cleared from behind the rocks and began to close in around them, like an attack ring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finally,” another one said, her voice like gargled rocks. “An actual </span>
  <em>
    <span>meal</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And my favourite </span>
  <em>
    <span>flavour</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” another giggled from behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason spun around, pressing his back to Leo’s. They were both in terrible shape, starving, thirsty. Their freshly healed wounds were already reforming in bloody blisters. Jason had no control over his powers and even if he did, he could barely use them without blacking out. Leo still had his fire but the empousai were fast. Even if he could target them, there was a chance the fire would do nothing to hurt them. Not with the fact that part of them was </span>
  <em>
    <span>literally aflame</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo shifted back. His weight shifted uneasily against Jason’s back. “Is that flavour marshmallow or cocoa, because I gotta tell you girls, one of those choices is gonna be real racist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If the situation weren’t so dire, Jason would’ve laughed. Leo was good at distracting people with talk but he wasn’t sure how well that would last. Not with the way their red eyes kept piercing at them, clearly hungry for some freshly baked demigod. On his left, one empousa kept glancing down to the SPQR burn on his arm. He shifted it until it was in full view.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She recoiled back. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Romani</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Leo shouted. “We’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>Romani</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” His voice faltered but quickly regained its strength. “Jupiter and, uh-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Vulcan,” Jason whispered quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Vulcan!” Leo snapped his fingers. “Bam, bam, bam, girls. Lightning and fire. Two very explosive boys. You really wanna mess with us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelli laughed, her eyes rolling. “Bold words, demigod. You have no power here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah?” Jason felt heat bloom behind him. Immediately the empousai, all except for Kelli, scattered a few steps back. “Does this look like no power, donkey girl?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She snarled but her eyes flashed between Leo and Jason, nervously. Then she smiled sweetly and her form began to shift, until her monstrous appearance had been replaced with a normal girl in a semi-burnt cheerleading outfit. “Men are all the same. Pretending they are powerful when really you’ll fall for anything with a pretty face.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Serophone laughed in agreement. Like Kelli, she had begun to change form. “Tell me, son of Jupiter,” her voice rasped. “Are you like your father?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason wanted to say no but refused to answer. He had a feeling denying them would be admitting that he wasn’t as powerful as Leo had said they were. He hardened his gaze and raised his sword threateningly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She laughed again, her voice softened. It almost reminded him of Piper when she spoke again. “Your father fell over himself for anything with a nice face - men, women, </span>
  <em>
    <span>monsters</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Something syrupy sweet began to echo out. Without wanting to, he began to lower his sword. “I bet you’re just the same.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That slapped him awake from the trance they were putting him under. Being like his father wasn’t ever something he’d really cared about but he didn’t like the assumption they were the same. He didn’t fall over himself for pretty girls or boys.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kept himself pliant as they approached closer. The roar of the river beside him only churned louder in his ears. He stayed focused on him, stopping himself from reacting when Leo’s weight vanished from his back. The three empousai kept limping closer and closer. Their voices were nothing but background to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as they were close enough, he reared his sword back up and sliced the first one to dust. Kelli and Serophone scattered away, growling and screeching at him. Their sharp nails tried to strike at his face but he dodged easily and stabbed at them. Serophone shouted as she fell back, just barely missing the blade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weight tackled against his back, sharp nails digging into his back. “I wonder what happens to a demigod who dies in Tartarus,” Kelli laughed. Her breath smelled like blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason snarled. The sound was more animalistic than human and he reared up, falling back and flattening her against the ground. She screamed out and released him. He shot up to his feet and darted forward. With strength he hadn’t anticipated, Serophone slapped his sword away. It ripped out of his hands. A few feet away echoed the shrieks of another empousai. He caught sight of Leo running around the rocks, dodging them, blasting fire at them. Serophone swiped at him, catching his focus again. Hopping back, he growled and lowered himself protectively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Autopilot mode had been engaged. Normally, he tried to resist it, instincts always telling him to do the weirdest things but now he couldn’t be bothered to care. The air around him was no longer boiling. He could breathe clearly, move with ease. The longer he stayed on autopilot the better his chance of survival.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two empousai began to narrow on him. As they neared, he considered the world around him. Negative space and positive space - it all prickled against his skin. Only a couple feet behind was another jagged rock. A few feet off from that, another cave entrance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason turned and ran for the cave entrance. The empousai followed him, close on his heels. He heard the reptilian beast before he saw it dart out to catch him in its teeth. He dropped into a roll, scaling just under it’s mighty jaws. Serophone let out an unholy scream as she was yanked back into the darkened cave. Kelli froze at the sight, perhaps wary that another monster would strike to gobble her whole, and he shoved himself forward, tackling her down. They rolled against the ashen earth. Her nails dug into his sides but he snapped at her shoulder. The meat of her skin tasted worse than the flaming river. She shouted and released her nails from his skin. Then she screamed as he grabbed her by the throat and smashed her face into the rock spire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did it again and again until she had finally vaporized into a pool of dust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rose to his feet. His mind was a whirl of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Leo, where’s Leo</span>
  </em>
  <span>? He caught sight of him near another jagged rock spire. His dagger was loose at his side, two empousai leaning in close on either side of him. He could see their mouths moving as Leo smiled at whatever they were saying to sway him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A violent rage exploded in the pit of Jason’s stomach. He raced forward. Lightning crackled up his arm and out of his hand, blasting the empousai that was easing against Leo’s front. Immediately, he fell to the ground. Monster dust smeared against his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck, Jason!” Leo backhanded the other empousa before stabbing her open with his glass knife. Like the others, she vanished in a puff of dust. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> it handled, okay? I can fight, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m not useless.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Groaning, Jason shifted awkwardly onto his feet. “You were- I thought-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You thought, what? That I’m some girl crazy fuck up who can’t stay alive even if a monster I know is pretending to be a pretty girl so much as smiles at me?” Leo pointed his dagger at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason didn’t know what to do. Technically, yes. That was the way Leo appeared to be but the way he said the words - vicious, angry - had Jason regretting his emotions. “It’s happened before,” he said lamely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo stared at him. Then, his eyes guarded with anger, “Jason, I’m fucking gay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His heart dropped into his stomach. Disbelief hit his sulphur-coated lungs. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another bitter laugh shot from Leo’s throat. Jason was finding he despised the sound more and more every time he heard it. “I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>gay</span>
  </em>
  <span>, okay? I’ve never told anyone because I wasn’t ready to deal with it, alright? But I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m already the weird kid who has no friends and talks to robots and can’t sit still and killed his mom and has been rejected by every member of his fucking family.” Every word fell from his mouth in an anguish quick stream. “I didn’t need to add another thing to that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason collected his sword from the ground. “You have friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo scoffed. “Sure. Right. Because everything we know about each other was a fabrication </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> didn’t even get to remember and when finding Hera was all over, did we </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> do anything called learning about one another?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason fought between retreating into his own skin, hugging Leo close to him and punching him in the face. “I tried,” he said. “You were always busy on the fucking boat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You still could’ve talked to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same to you,” he spat back. “Leo, I fucking worked my ass off to get to know you and you’ve rejected me every step of the way. I’m not like you, okay? I don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> the luxury of remembering anything so forgive me for not being able to spill my entire past, given </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t even remember it</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo’s fingers curled around the hilt of his dagger. But he relaxed his tense stance. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t like talking about it anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leo-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s just go.” He turned and continued on ahead. “Keep following the river, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason scowled. He was doing it again. Jason stepped close, grabbing his arm and forcing him to turn around. “You don’t have to be afraid to talk to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not afraid!” Leo said, yanking his arm out of Jason’s grip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then stop acting like I don’t love you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo looked like he’d been slapped. Then his lips curled into a snarl. “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking</span>
  </em>
  <span>-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason grabbed his face, groaning. His skin burned at his touch. “That’s not what I meant. I don’t even know if I like guys, okay? Probably? Maybe? I don’t know, but I mean-” He dropped his hands, angry, fed up. “-that I </span>
  <em>
    <span>give a shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>, okay?” He exhaled sharply. “I care about you, Leo. Can you just fucking trust that for a godsdamn second, please?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With all the shouting, his lungs ached. The pain flustered down to his sides. They burned. He groaned and pressed his hands to the still bleeding wounds. “Shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo swore under his breath, pulling out a bottle. “Here.” His hands pressed to Jason’s throat as he drank two sips of the liquid fire. Leo kept it pressed there until Jason’s skin had finally begun to heal again. Then he took his own sip and corked the bottle shut again. He looked away from Jason’s face. “I do trust you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jason nodded. “I trust you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was something in Leo’s eyes that Jason couldn’t read. He looked away again and put the bottle away. Without another word, he started to walk along the riverbank once more. Silently, Jason treaded alongside him, aware that there were still so many unsaid things between them.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wolf Jason, wolf Jason, wolf Jason, wolf jason, wolf Jason.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. II: Hazel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sailing the sea should’ve been easier. Gaea was the Mother Earth. She had no power over the ocean and yet Hazel was still running around on deck, trying to refill and man the cannons while Percy attempted to sail around the legs of the giant octopus trying to drag them down to its depths. Nico had taken up a spot on the foremast, fighting off the squelching tentacles from crushing everything to bits.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She adjusted the cannon and lit it up. Running off to the side, she covered her ears as the cannon fired off. Deep in the depths, she heard yet another warbled screech. The severed tentacle slimed over the railing before falling into the murky waters below. Quickly she leaned over the railing. Slime slid over her skin but she ignored it, reaching out for the metal. She’d crafted over a hundred golden cannonballs the last time they’d docked on shore and she didn’t know when they were going to dock again. If she had the opportunity, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to reuse them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the murky waters, something glittery came crashing up. She ducked at the last minute. The cannonball sailed over her head and landed on the deck. She darted to grab it, shoving it back into the canon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“PORTSIDE!” Percy yelled down at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked over to the opposite side of the ship and groaned. Heaving the only cannon they had from place to place was wearing on her arms. She began shoving it to the portside as another tentacle riddled up. She adjusted the cannon once it was in good range and fired.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It missed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She cursed and ran for another cannonball in the bag she’d dragged up to the deck. The tentacle writhed in the air. As she hefted another ball into her arms and began hustling back to the cannon, she saw Nico slice at the tentacle gathering too close to the foremast. It shifted back and began moving to the side, reaching for another mast. Nico grabbed a rope and swung forward. His sword cut into it. The tip fell to the deck, quivering violently. The octopus screamed again, it’s voice quaking the boat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If they hadn’t been dealing with this day in and day out, she would’ve wondered how in the name of her father the others were able to sleep through all the noise and near deaths. As it was the hours she got to sleep usually wound up with her conked out until someone came and roused her awake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wind shoved Nico off the boat. He clung to the rope desperately. Hazel’s heart nearly lept out of her throat but he came swinging back around and dropped to the deck, rolling up to his feet. Helping her add more explosive powder to the cannonball, he turned to Percy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“IT’S GETTING READY TO SWALLOW US AGAIN!” he shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy let out a stream of swears lost in the sound of the storm and jumped over the railing. Hazel ran to the steering wheel while he dove, Riptide glittering in his hand, into the murky ocean. He vanished into the near black depths. In her absence, Nico manned the cannon. He shoved it under the railing, tilting it down until it was pointed direct to the ocean. Hazel held tight to the steering wheel. Her muscles ached as she pulled it in the opposite direction the ship was lurching. Below them, Percy was forcing the ocean to heave the boat up and to the side, as though he was trying to submerge them. She let out a scream, guttural from deep within her throat, as she powered against his force.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cannon exploded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boat fell back with so much force she stumbled and almost faceplanted into the wheel. Groaning, she started sailing the boat forward again. The monster’s induced storm was beginning to dissipate, though she was still soaked and shivering, even as the sun finally began to resurface from behind the gray clouds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy resurfaced with a heavy grunt. Seawater splattered all over the already soaked deck. In Leo’s absence, he was left to take up the helm. Being the son of an ocean god, he was able to power the ship at max speed, urging the waves to move them along faster and faster. On top of that, his innate nautical knowledge was fascinating. She wondered what innate knowledge her father had given her. She wondered if Jason had some kind of similar knowledge over planes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hoped one day she’d get to test the theory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After all, that would mean Jason was still alive and not burnt to death in Tartarus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head, stepping back down to the deck with the other two. Percy’s eyes were rimmed so black, his skin pale. As the only person who could sail the boat or even take notice of the sea monsters trying to kill them every ten seconds, he was the one who’d had the least amount of rest. The next person was probably Nico, who spent all his time in the crowsnest, waking the moment danger occurred.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel had tried to corral her brother to sleep in her cabin but he refused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Next to Percy, the only other person really capable of operating the ship in Leo’s absence had been Annabeth. She had taken the time to decipher his plans and operating manual. Unfortunately half of it had been written in Spanish and the other half was just complex diagrams. The few parts written in Ancient Greek were so badly scrawled, she couldn’t translate it without a lot of studying. Luckily, her time sailing the seas with Percy during a previous quest had helped in addition to figuring out how to operate some of the armory of the ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had tried sailing over the mountains, a direct route to Greece by way of the Adriatic Sea versus sailing around the tip of Italy, but they’d been constantly blasted by angry rock gods hurtling boulders at them. Without Leo, they struggled to fight back. At least on the Tyrrhenian Sea, they had Percy to help fend off the sea monsters. Hazel and Nico had angry rock gods. Percy had angry sea monsters. What did Jason have then? Angry birds?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked off the side of the ship. The ocean had calmed considerably now that the sea monster had been dealt with but she wasn’t sure how long it would last. Monsters could smell the son of a sea god and were eagerly trying to stop him at all costs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy put his hand on her back and pulled off the sea water that drenched her. She didn’t feel clean though. Just salted and uncomfortably dry. Nico twitched when Percy turned to pull the sea water off of him before they both caught colds and died the way they probably could have if they’d stuck around in the 40s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Percy looked away, Nico sent him an angry look. She didn’t know why Percy rubbed him the wrong way. When they’d met at Camp Jupiter, Nico had been civil. Perhaps that was because he was trying to not to shed any light on Percy’s missing memories. Somewhere deep in her gut she had a feeling it was something else entirely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico was completely different than he had been before Tartarus. She knew the giants that had captured him had obviously fucked around with him but the extent of it, the exact things they had done, were lost on her. Nico didn’t speak about the details of his time with Gaea’s army. The only thing he’d done so far in response to it was vanish off the boat during the last time they’d docked for supplies and come back with pomegranate seeds in a tiny little bag he’d shoved into her hand with a gruff, “Just in case.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rarely slept. He barely ate. He didn’t speak to anyone unless he had to and he never let himself be in the same space as Percy alone. He’d grown stronger since his rescue but he was still relatively weak and inhumanly pale. Before he’d been pretty tanned, comparable to most of the white kids at Camp Jupiter, but now he looked like a living skeleton. His dark hair just made him look whiter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel had cracked jokes with him about how white he was - usually in response to him talking about the tiny pieces of his rich boy past he remembered - but she hadn’t meant for this. White as paper and nearly as thin. His clothes hung off him like they were two sizes too big. If Percy’s eyes were rimmed black like a racoon, Nico’s eyes looked sunken in. Everything about him screamed “DEAD BOY WALKING”. She despised it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With her nail, she scraped away dried salt from her cheek. “How far are we from Scilily?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy grabbed the map he’d tucked into his back pocket. Unfolding it, he flattened it out against the deck, squatting over it. He pointed at a spot far from their last marked notch. “We’re gaining good distance,” he said. “If I keep up our speed, we should be able to reach the split of the tip by tomorrow evening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the risk of you killing yourself,” Nico said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel let out a low noise of agreement. After he marked off the spot with a red marker, Percy folded the map back up and scowled at both of them. “I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t slept longer than a couple hours in the last two days,” Hazel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A playful smile  slid over his face. “And I’m still functional,” he insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel considered him. “We’re gonna need to pick up some more supplies to fix the damage of the ship anyway. I’ll ask Annabeth to make you sleep then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scowled again. “I’m not a child.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t disrespect your elders, Percy,” she said, squeezing his arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rolled his eyes but pushed his hair back. “I’ll shift course to the south-west. We can dock off the coast of Calabria.” He narrowed his eyes, not looking at either of them. “But no longer than a couple hours. We can’t keep wasting time. I can only push this ship to go so fast and it takes longer to sail around than to cut across. We need to shut the Doors as soon as possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel sighed. “This would be easier if Leo was here. He can decipher his writing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico looked at her. His expression, hard like steel, softened gently. “It’s good they’re down there together,” he said quietly. “A pair has a better chance of surviving than a single person.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her stomach flopped. She so desperately wanted to console him, but how? She didn’t know anything and the reassurance that he could talk to her about it had only been met with silence and eyes so pained, she would’ve thought someone was actively stabbing him in the back. She dropped her gaze from his gaunt face and nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” she said. “I just wish we were all here together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Doors have to be sealed on the other side somehow,” Nico pointed out. “I’m sure they’ll make it. They’re not dead yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt that too. Control over death hadn’t ever been her forte. Her mother had used her for jewels and gems only. Wealth was the easiest thing of her father’s domain for her to manipulate. Nico had promised to train her when they both had the time but between his infrequent visits and her duties with the legion the most he’d managed was teaching her how to make the Lares shut up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she did know they were alive. When she reached out as far as she could go, searching every inch of the Underworld she knew so well, she couldn’t sense their death amongst the rest of the spirits. They were still breathing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Who knew for how long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She reached and swept Nico’s bangs out of his eyes. “You should get some sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked uneasily over her shoulder. “I would if we weren’t under attack again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She spun around, spotting a building wave just off the horizon. It was growing closer and closer with every passing second. There was no way their solitary cannon was going to save them from this. Not even the crossbows would help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“PERCY-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know!” he yelled, fiddling with the other controls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boat heaved as he tried to get them airborne. Nico began climbing the mast again while Hazel took up her usual manned spot against the cannon. She gazed into the horizon, searching for something she could hit. Something </span>
  <em>
    <span>tangible</span>
  </em>
  <span>. So far all she could see was the oncoming tsunami.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As it jolted into the air, the boat lurched. Percy groaned as he aimed to steady it but there was something shaking them. Hazel’s stomach lurched as she peered over the railing. Giant watery hands had grabbed the boat by the sides, like a child playing with a toy naval ship in a bath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Percy!” she shouted. “Beneath us!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again they swapped sides, Percy diving off the edge of the boat while she struggled to pull the boat higher and higher. Nico ran to her, jumping from mast to mast before hopping down to her. Before he grabbed the wheel, helping her to yank it up higher, he looked over the edge and shouted a stream of Italian curses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” she asked as the watery fingers only began to encircle the deck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Aigaios</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Nico grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shouted as the ship was yanked down. “FUCK!” She fell to her butt, Nico piling down on top of her. The ship landed against the water with a thunderous splash. She shot up and grabbed the wheel but it was to no avail. The god had his grip on them now. There was no escaping it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She let go of the wheel and ran back down to the helm, slashing with her sword at the watery fingers. It felt stupid but the fingers retreated with every hit. It was hard to avoid the water that splattered off her sword. Like tendrils, they crawled towards her. She felt herself corner against the foremast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico swung down and grabbed her. “New lesson,” he said quickly. “How to make things go away really fast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sold,” she grunted, slashing at another tendril. The boat lurched. Water solidified against her ankles. “Teach me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Water trailed up his legs, sloshing over his boots. “Sand is the sea's version of dirt.” She nodded. “Focus on it, breathe it in. The solid flat break of sand. Tiny rocks. Deadened coral. Splintered bones.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She exhaled sharply. His words seemed to echo around her. She struggled to keep focus on them with the water tailing up her skin, growing harder and harder, like a hand trying to pull her down. “Sand is earth,” she mumbled. “Sand is earth, sand is earth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Break it,” he whispered. “Open it up. The Underworld is the bottom of everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her gut tugged as she felt herself push at the sandy depths far beneath him. Under his words, she touched the scatterings of death that lingered. Rocks, bones, coral. Life was decomposing under her. She reached for his hands. It was hard to figure out how to break open this version of earth. But his hands were a warm variance against the miserable chill of water now soaking up to her chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sand broke under her. She focused on it, pulling apart the water-covered earth. The water against her chest slipped to her stomach. She barreled in on the feeling. She thought of the pull of the Underworld, the way it called her home when she died. She imagined it pulling at the god trying to drown them, yanking him down, wrapping around him. Everything had an endpoint.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s time to die,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Go away. Drown in the shadows.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico released her hands as the water finally slipped away from their feet. Exhausted and drained, they both backed up as they looked off the side of the ship, leaning into one another. The water that had been attempting to pull the ship down was retreating. But not in defeat. A whirlpool exploded upwards behind them, unloading Percy in an undignified sprawl against the deck. His skin had been cut open all over his arms and chest but was rapidly healing with the water still clinging to his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hate sea gods,” he groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your father is a sea god,” Nico muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And yet I don’t see him helping us here,” Percy muttered as he stood up beside them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Hazel asked, eyes wary on the pooling rippling water before them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy readied his sword outwards. “Beat up an old man until he left.” He looked at them quickly, just a glance before he gazed back out to the rippling water. “Did you make that crevice?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They nodded. “He’s not gone yet,” Nico muttered. He pushed himself away from Hazel and steadied his stance. “He’s separating himself from physical form to incorporeal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The water began to rise, shaping itself into the form of a giant old man. “And that means?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be harder to hurt him, but he won’t do as much damage to the ship as fast.” Nico looked at the cannon that had shifted to the other side of the boat far away from them. “If we can get a surged burst at him, we can break his form and haul ass.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aigaios towered over them, dripping sea water all over them. Hazel was beginning to dread the next time she had to wash her hair. The crusting salt was never going to get out. She’d just have to chop it all off and start over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I distract him, you two man the cannon?” Percy said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s do it,” Hazel breathed and they split immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the boat lurched again, Nico slipped on the wet deck and slammed into the railing. Blood dripped down his nose. She wanted to pull him up but had to get to the cannonballs. When she grabbed one, she shoved it into the cannon. Nico was at her side, blood caking the left side of his jaw. He shoved the powder in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her lighter refused to turn on. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” She looked to the door leading down to the inside of the ship. “There’s another lighter in the kitchen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy flew over their heads, landing with a heavy splash into the ocean. A second later he was shooting back up, yelling as he sliced at the watery figure once more. The god batted him away again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll get the lighter,” she said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico nodded, adjusting the cannon as she ran for the door. Water came and smacked her in the side. She shouted out as she hit the railing, right on the rib. If it wasn’t cracked, it was certainly bruised to hell. Percy came flying over the side, battling off the watery tendril trying to shove her into the ocean.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She rose to an unsteady stand. Her ribs ached painfully but she powered through. As she reached the door to the kitchen, the sky above her darkened considerably. She looked up, confused, to find a giant wave piling above the ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the water fell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She waited for the impact, her eyes closing shut. For a second time, she was experiencing her final moments. She thought to herself about the things she was grateful for. She’d helped save her little brother, she had a very nice boyfriend. She’d made fascinating friends. She’d finally got vaccinated against polio.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All things considering, this wouldn’t be as bad as being crushed to death by a cave-in. That had been painful, the impact of the rocks not killing her as quickly as one would think. She would never tell anyone but she hadn’t died instantly. It had been slow. At least the impact of the wave would knock her out before she drowned. She didn’t want to suffocate to death while in so much physical agony if she could have moved she would have screamed. Not again. It hadn’t been fun the first time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When nothing happened, she looked up once more. Percy was groaning as he fought against the wave’s desire to fall. The ocean god’s watery face looked pissed off. For what was definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> the first time, she was amazed by how strong Percy truly was. Running on next to no sleep and still capable of battling against the will of a god.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned to grab the door handle when something racing across the water caught her eye. She stared at her. Another monster? Her rib ached as she moved her arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aigaios exploded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy let out a final shout as he shoved the wave away from the boat. With a splash, it fell into the water, rocking the ship intensely. Hazel stepped away from the door, stumbling over to the edge. Nico’s bloodied face looked just as bewildered. Then Arion launched himself onto the ship’s deck from behind the falling spray of water that once was Aigaios.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He whinnied, hooves clipping against the deck like he was annoyed that she’d made him run so far to reach her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arion?” she whispered. She patted the horse’s wet mane, convinced this was just a dream her dying mind was spitting out. “What- how the fuck-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Completely winded, Percy leaned against the foremast. “He says he has to take you somewhere.” He breathed hard. “Meet someone important. Also he’s hungry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked into Arion’s dark brown eyes. They screamed a sense of urgency. He clopped his hooves against the deck again. She nodded. “Nico, can you get him a cannonball to eat?” She turned to Percy. “Percy, I hit my rib, can you-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was already walking towards her. The water on the deck, trailed up her leg and slid under her shirt, right under the heat of his palm. Healing her only seemed to wind him even more but he smiled thinly and pulled away when she let out a relieved sigh. The ache in her ribs was faint now. She could eat some ambrosia when she got back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Manipulating the cannonball into smaller chunks, she fed Arion a few pieces. The rest went into her pocket for when they arrived wherever he was taking her. As she swung herself over his back, Nico reached up and grabbed her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay safe,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be okay,” she promised. “Just keep sailing. We’ll catch up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them watched her with worry as she wrapped her hands around Arion’s thick mane. He whinnied, rearing up onto his back legs before darting over the railing and back against the ocean. The salty sea spray stung her face until Arion began to push on the speed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shot along the ocean, hooves pounding against the sand of an enclosed beach. Like a mountain goat, he hurtled up the slope of the rock cliff. Once he’d scaled the top, he continued along towards a swirling black tornado. Her stomach flipped in her stomach. Pluto, her father? As they grew closer though, she had a faint sense that there was something else in the darkness. Something much more sinister than her father could ever be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Falling into the dark vapour, the world lost its colour. The walls of the storm encircled the hill in murky black. The sky churned grey. The crumbling ruins were bleached so white that they almost glowed. Even Arion had turned from golden brown to a dark shade of gray ash.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the eye of the tempest, the air was still. Hazel’s skin tingled coolly, as if she’d been rubbed with alcohol. In front of her, an arched gateway led through mossy walls into some sort of enclosure. Hazel couldn’t see much through the gloom, but she felt a presence within, as if she were a chunk of iron close to a large magnet. Its pull was irresistible, dragging her forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet she hesitated. She reined in Arion, and he clopped impatiently, the ground crackling under his hooves. Wherever he stepped, the grass, dirt and stones turned white like frost. Hazel remembered the Hubbard Glacier in Alaska, how the surface had cracked under their feet. She remembered the floor of that horrible cavern in Rome crumbling to dust, plunging Jason and Leo into Tartarus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hoped this black-and-white hilltop wouldn’t dissolve under her, but she decided it was best to keep moving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go, then, boy.” Her voice sounded muffled, as if she were speaking into a pillow. She eased him forward again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arion trotted through the stone archway. Ruined walls bordered a square courtyard about the size of a tennis court. As they closed in on the center of the courtyard, the fog rose up behind her masking the archway she’d come in. Ahead of her were three other gateways, one in the middle of each wall, led north, east, and west. Like the archway she’d trotted Arion through, they were masked with hazy black fog. In the centre of the yard, two cobblestone paths intersected, making a cross. Mist hung in the air, hazy shreds of speckled white that coiled and undulated as if they were alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not mist, Hazel realized. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Mist.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>All her life, she’d heard about the Mist, the supernatural veil that obscured the world of myth from the sight of mortals. It could deceive humans, even demigods, into seeing monsters as harmless animals, or gods as regular people. Hazel had never thought of it as actual smoke, but as she watched it curling around Arion’s legs, floating through the broken arches of the ruined courtyard, the hairs stood up on her arms. Somehow she knew: this white stuff was pure magic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the distance, a dog howled. Arion wasn’t usually scared of anything, but he reared, huffing nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay.” Hazel stroked his neck. “We’re in this together. I’m going to get down, all right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She slid off Arion’s back. Instantly he turned and ran.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arion, wai–”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he’d already disappeared the way he’d come.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She rolled her eyes. So much for being in this together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The black fog he’d run through hadn’t shifted in the disturbance but only thickened, blocking the way out from view. As she looked back, she knew if she tried to leave, the fog would block her. Her skin crawled. She placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, turning back to the other three gateways. Another howl cut through the air, closer this time. Hazel stepped towards the centre of the courtyard. The Mist clung to her like freezer fog. Her sword glinted from her side as she looked around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” she called.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello,” a voice answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The pale figure of a woman appeared at the northern gateway. No, wait, she stood at the eastern entrance. No, the southern. No, the western. Four smoky images of the same woman moved in unison towards the centre of the ruins. Her form was blurred, made from Mist, and she was trailed by two smaller wisps of smoke, darting at her heels like animals. Some sort of pets?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She reached the centre of the courtyard and her four forms merged into one. She solidified into a young woman in a dark sleeveless gown. Her golden hair was gathered into a high-set ponytail, Ancient Greek style. Her dress was so silky it seemed to ripple, as if the cloth were ink spilling off her shoulders. She looked no more than twenty, but Hazel knew that meant nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hazel Levesque,” said the woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was beautiful, but deathly pale. Once, back in New Orleans, Hazel had been forced to attend a wake for a dead classmate. She remembered the lifeless body of the young girl in the open casket. Her face had been made up prettily, her eyes pulled closed, as if she were only resting, simply asleep. This woman reminded Hazel of that girl. Except the woman’s eyes were open and completely black. When she tilted her head, she seemed to break into four different people again, misty after-images blurring together, like a photograph of someone moving too fast to capture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?” Hazel’s fingers twitched at the hilt of her sword. “I mean... which goddess?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel was sure of that much. This woman radiated power. Everything around them – the swirling Mist, the monochromatic storm, the eerie glow of the ruins – was because of her presence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah." The woman nodded. "Let me give you some light.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She raised her hands. Suddenly she was holding two old-fashioned reed torches, guttering with fire. The Mist receded to the edges of the courtyard. At the woman’s sandalled feet, the two wispy animals took on solid form. One was a black Labrador retriever. The other was a long, grey furry rodent with a white mask around its face. A weasel, maybe?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman smiled serenely. “I am Hecate,” she said. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Titaness</span>
  </em>
  <span> of magic. We have much to discuss if you’re to live through tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fear slid through Hazel’s stomach at the words. She wanted to bolt and run but her feet felt trapped to the wispy ground, like she’d been soldered in place. On either side of the crossroads, two dark metal torch-stands erupted from the dirt like plant stalks. Hecate fixed her torches in them, then walked a slow circle around Hazel, regarding her as if they were partners in some eerie dance. The black dog and the weasel followed in her wake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are like your mother,” Hecate decided.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel’s throat constricted. “You knew her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. Marie was a fortune-teller. She dealt in charms and curses and gris-gris. I am the goddess of magic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Those pure black eyes seemed to pull at Hazel, as if trying to extract her soul. During her first lifetime in New Orleans, Hazel had been tormented by the kids at St Agnes School because of her mother. They’d called Marie Levesque a witch. The nuns had muttered that Hazel’s mother was trading with the Devil.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If the nuns were scared of my mom</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Hazel thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what would they make of this goddess?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Many fear me,” Hecate said, as if reading her thoughts. “But magic is neither good nor evil. It is a tool, like a knife. Is a knife evil? Only if the wielder is evil.” She regarded a trellis of trailing leaves around the archway. “Your father understands that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel’s head felt it was being filled with air. Her father, her mother - she was getting dizzy thinking about them all in conjunction to this woman. “My- my mother,” she stammered. “She didn’t believe in magic. Not really. She was just faking it. For the money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The weasel chittered and bared its teeth. Then it made a squeaking sound from its back end. Under other circumstances, a weasel passing gas might have been funny, but Hazel didn’t laugh. The rodent’s red eyes glared at her balefully, like tiny coals set aflame.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Peace, Gale,” said Hecate. She gave Hazel an apologetic shrug. “Gale does not like hearing about nonbelievers and con artists. She herself was once a witch, you see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your weasel was a witch?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s a polecat, actually,” Hecate said. "But, yes. Gale was once a disagreeable human witch. She had terrible personal hygiene, plus extreme, ah, digestive issues.” Hecate waved her hand in front of her nose. “It gave my other followers a bad name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Hazel tried not to look at the weasel. She really didn’t want to know about the rodent’s intestinal problems.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At any rate,” Hecate said, “I turned her into a polecat. She’s much better as a polecat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel swallowed. She looked at the black dog, which was affectionately nuzzling the goddess’s hand. “And your Labrador?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, she’s Hecuba, the former queen of Troy,” Hecate said, as if that should be obvious. The dog grunted. “You’re right, Hecuba. We don’t have time for long introductions. The point is, Hazel Levesque, your mother may have claimed not to believe, but she had true magic. Eventually, she realized this. When she searched for a spell to summon the god Pluto, I helped her find it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel’s breath caught in her throat. “You...?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” Hecate continued circling Hazel. ‘I saw potential in your mother. I see even </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> potential in you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel’s head spun even more. She remembered her mother’s confession just before she had died: how she’d summoned Pluto, how the god had fallen in love with her and how, because of her greedy wish, her daughter Hazel had been born with a curse. Hazel could summon riches from the earth, but anyone who used them would suffer and die.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now this goddess was saying that she had made all that happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anger curdled through her chest, raging through her veins. “My mother suffered because of that magic.</span>
  <em>
    <span> My whole life-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your life wouldn’t have happened without me,” Hecate said, quick and flat. Her hair flared behind her, as though gravity no longer had a frame against her. The ground trembled lightly - a warning, Hazel realized. “I have no time for your anger. Neither do you. Without my help, you will die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The black dog snarled. The polecat snapped its teeth and passed gas.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel felt like her lungs were filling with hot sand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of help?” she demanded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate raised her pale arms. The four gateways she’d come from – north, east, south and west – began to swirl with Mist. A flurry of black-and-white images glowed and flickered, like the old silent movies that were still playing in theatres when Hazel was small.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the western doorway, Roman and Greek demigods in full armour fought one another on a hillside under a large pine tree. The grass was strewn with the wounded and the dying. Hazel saw herself riding Arion, charging through the melee and shouting, trying to stop the violence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the gateway to the east, Hazel saw the Argo II plunging through the sky above the Apennines. Its rigging was in flames. A boulder smashed into the quarterdeck. Another punched through the hull. The ship burst like a rotten pumpkin, and the engine exploded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the gateway to the south, Hazel saw the Argo II sailing through a tempest of storms. A giant wave smashed into the quarterdeck. The mast shattered. Nico fell into the ocean. She saw herself screaming out for him as he vanished into the black waters. A tentacle punched through the weakened hull. Raging sea spirits grabbed the ship, shaking it and yanking it down to the depths. Percy was the only one that remained surfaced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The images in the northern doorway were just as horrible. She saw Frank staggering alone down a dark tunnel, clutching his arm, his shirt soaked in blood. She saw herself in a vast cavern filled with strands of light like a luminous web. She was struggling to break through while, in the distance, Jason and Leo lay sprawled and unmoving at the foot of two black-and-silver metal doors. Their skin was boiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Choices,” said Hecate. “You stand at the crossroads, Hazel Levesque. And I am the goddess of crossroads.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ground rumbled at Hazel’s feet. She looked down and saw the glint of silver coins. Thousands of old Roman denarii broke the surface all around her, as if the entire hilltop was coming to a boil. She’d been so agitated by the visions in the doorways that she must have summoned every bit of silver in the surrounding countryside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The past is close to the surface in this place,” Hecate said. “In ancient times, two great Roman roads met here. News was exchanged. Markets were held. Friends met, and enemies fought. Entire armies had to choose a direction. Crossroads are always places of decision.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like... like Janus.” Hazel remembered the shrine of Janus on Temple Hill back at Camp Jupiter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Demigods would go there to make decisions. They would flip a coin, heads or tails, and hope the two-faced god would guide them well. Hazel had always hated that place. She’d never understood why her friends were so willing to let a god take away their responsibility for choosing. After all Hazel had been through, she trusted the wisdom of the gods about as much as she trusted a New Orleans slot machine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate made a disgusted hiss. “Janus and his doorways. He would have you believe that all choices are black or white, yes or no, in or out. In fact, it’s not that simple. Whenever you reach the crossroads, there are always at least three ways to go ... four, if you count going backwards. You are at such a crossing now, Hazel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel looked again at each swirling gateway: a demigod war, the destruction of the Argo II, disaster for herself and her friends. “All the choices are bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All choices have risks," the goddess corrected. "But what is your goal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My goal?” Hazel waved helplessly at the doorways. “None of these.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dog Hecuba snarled. Gale the polecat skittered around the goddess’s feet, farting and gnashing her teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could go backwards,’ Hecate suggested, “and retrace your steps to Rome.” A lofty tone hit her voice. “But Gaea’s forces are expecting that. None of you will survive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel looked up to the goddess. Her face was unfairly shielded, hiding what she was thinking, her motives. She felt like she was talking to a wall. Impassive and blocking her from freedom. “What are you saying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate stepped to the nearest torch. She scooped a handful of fire and sculpted the flames until she was holding a miniature relief map of Italy. “You could go west.” She let her finger drift away from her fiery map. “Go back to America with your prize, the Athena Parthenos. Your comrades back home, Greek and Roman, are on the brink of war. Leave now, and you might save many lives.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Might</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Hazel repeated. The word tasted stale in her mouth. “But Gaea is supposed to wake in Greece. That’s where the giants are gathering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True. Gaea has set the date of August first, the Feast of Spes, goddess of hope, for her rise to power. By waking on the Day of Hope, she intends to destroy all hope forever. Even if you reached Greece by then, could you stop her? I do not know.” Hecate traced her finger along the tops of the fiery Apennines. “You could go east, across the mountains, but Gaea will do anything to stop you from crossing Italy. She has raised her mountain gods against you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We noticed,” Hazel said bitterly. The reminder of a boulder hurtling at her face slid through her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve started sailing the seas to avoid them. Your sea-faring leader however…” She traced her finger over the ocean. It dipped around her skin. “He’ll survive whatever comes for him, but they will not stop. With all the delays, it is possible, though unlikely, that you could still reach Epirus and close the Doors of Death. You might find Gaia and prevent her rise. But by then both demigod camps would be destroyed. You would have no home to return to.” Hecate smiled, a cruel sneer of her lips. “More likely, the destruction of your ship would strand you in the seas to drown. It would mean the end of your quest, but it would spare you and your friends much pain and suffering in the days to come. The war with the giants would have to be won or lost without you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Won or lost without us.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>A small guilty part of Hazel found that appealing. She’d been wishing for the chance to be a normal girl. She didn’t want any more pain or suffering for herself and her friends. They’d already been through so much. She looked behind Hecate at the northern gateway. She saw Jason and Leo sprawled helplessly before those black-and-silver doors. A massive dark shape, vaguely humanoid, now loomed over them, its foot raised as if to crush them both.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about them?” Her voice was ragged. “Jason and Leo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate shrugged. “West or eat, north or south…” She looked at Hazel, her face impassive. “They die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel steadied her stance. Her eyes narrowed. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Not</span>
  </em>
  <span> an option.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling, as though she knew Hazel would insist on that, Hecate looked back to her map. “Then you have only one path, though it is the most dangerous.” Her finger crossed her miniature Apennines, leaving a glowing white line in the red flames. “There is a secret pass here in the north, a place where I hold sway, where Hannibal once crossed when he marched against Rome.” The goddess made a wide loop to the top of Italy, then east to the sea, then down along the western coast of Greece. “Once through the pass, you would travel north to Bologna and then to Venice. From there, sail the Adriatic to your goal, here: Epirus in Greece.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel didn’t know much about geography. She had no idea what the Adriatic Sea was like. She’d never heard of Bologna, and all she knew about Venice was vague stories about canals and gondolas and the passing mention that Nico had been born there before he moved to the US.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But one thing was obvious to her. “We can’t take a path over the earth. None of us can master the ship when it’s airborne and besides-” She dragged her finger across the trail Hecate had drawn. “-it’s too far out of the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which is why Gaea will not expect you to take this route,” Hecate said. “I can obscure your progress somewhat, but the success of your journey will depend on you, Hazel Levesque. You must learn to use the Mist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me?” Hazel’s heart felt like it was tumbling down her rib cage. Everything was far too much. She still had the fact that none of them could effectively use air travel to cut through the path Hecate had devised and now she was telling her she had to learn how to do something she’d never heard of </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> person being able to do. “Use the Mist how?” She sputtered, waving her hands before Hecate could continue. “And, </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>, we cannot fly over the earth. The only reason we can even sail is because of Percy. Once we become airborne, he’s basically useless and none of us know how to operate the ship enough to protect us from any air assaults!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate regarded her deeply. “Your complaints have been noted. However, this path-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We </span>
  <em>
    <span>cannot</span>
  </em>
  <span> fly over the earth,” Hazel repeated. “If you truly want to help, you’ll respect that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment, Hazel thought that this was how she was going to die again. Vaporized by way of pissing off a deity. Then Hecate rolled her eyes. The action made her look even younger than she already appeared. As though she was just an older sister being annoyed by a younger sibling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ask your brother for assistance then,” she said. “If you will not take this path I have offered, I will aid you as best I can in obscuring your sea travel but know the delays will only magnify if you continue along the south. Your sea child has taken on the enemies of his father. They will seek his death in spades. As for the Mist...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate extinguished her map of Italy. She flicked her hand at Hecuba. Mist collected around the Labrador until she was completely hidden in a cocoon of white. The fog cleared with an audible poof! Where the dog had stood was a disgruntled-looking black kitten with golden eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mew,” it complained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am the goddess of the Mist,” Hecate explained. “I am responsible for keeping the veil that separates the world of the gods from the world of mortals. My children learn to use the Mist to their advantage, to create illusions or influence the minds of mortals. Other demigods can do this as well. And so must you, Hazel, if you are to help your friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But …” Hazel looked at the cat. She knew it was actually Hecuba, the black Labrador, but she couldn’t convince herself. The cat seemed so real. Part of her wanted to reach down and run her fingers over the cat, see if she could shake the spell that was around it. Another part of her knew it wouldn’t matter. She would only feel the air, not the dog. “I can’t do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mother had the talent,” Hecate said. “You have even more. As a child of Pluto who has returned from the dead, you understand the veil between worlds better than most, better than your brother. You can control the Mist. If you do not-” She gave a half-hearted shrug. “Well, Nico has already warned you. The spirits have whispered to him, have told him of your future. When you reach the House of Hades, you will meet a formidable enemy. She cannot be overcome by strength or sword. You alone can defeat her, and you will require magic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel’s legs felt wobbly. She remembered Nico’s grim expression, his fraile fingers digging into her arm.</span>
  <em>
    <span> You can’t tell the others. Not yet. Their courage is already stretched to the limit.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who?” Hazel croaked. “Who is this enemy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will not speak her name,” Hecate said. “That would alert her to your presence before you are ready to face her. Go north, Hazel. As you travel, practise summoning the Mist. If you choose my path, upon your arrival in Bologna, seek out the two dwarfs. They will lead you to a treasure that may help you survive in the House of Hades. If you choose to continue along the seas...” She looked Hazel over. “Should you arrive without much delay and he be in the mood to help, your brother should be of similar assistance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel frowned. Why wouldn’t Nico be in the mood to help? That’s all he ever was, even when battered down by the traumas of Tartarus. “I don’t understand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mew,” the kitten complained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, yes, Hecuba.” The goddess flicked her hand again, and the cat disappeared. The black Labrador was back in its place. “You will understand, Hazel,” the goddess promised. “From time to time, I will send Gale to check on your progress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The polecat hissed, its beady red eyes full of malice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wonderful,” Hazel muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Before you reach Epirus, you must be prepared,” Hecate said. “If you succeed, then perhaps we will meet again ... for the final battle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A final battle, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hazel thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, joy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She considered the visions Hecate had shown her with great contempt. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> hated the gods’ riddles and their unclear advice. She was starting to despise crossroads.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you helping me?” Hazel demanded. “At Camp Jupiter, they said you sided with the Titans in the last war.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate’s dark eyes glinted. “Because I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> a Titan. The daughter of Perses and Asteria. Long before the Olympians came to power, I ruled the Mist. Despite this, in the First Titan War, millennia ago, I sided with Jupiter against Saturn. I was not blind to Saturn's cruelty. I hoped Jupiter would prove a better king.” She gave a small, bitter laugh. “When Ceres lost her daughter Proserpina, kidnapped by your father-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The words fell from her lips before she could stop them. “He didn’t kidnap her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico had said it when some of the other demigods inquired at Camp Jupiter during one of his visits. A child so intune with their godly parent, Nico had all the truths in the lies. He’d said it with annoyance and anger. She didn’t understand why until he explained how modern views on their father, combined with people’s fear of death, lead to the Underworld and it’s ruler being hated unfairly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The other gods have done so much worse,” he said, gazing off into the horizon. “But our father is despised and the only thing they can use to justify their despite of him is a lie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate regarded her carefully. Then she laughed. “Have you met your step-mother? She does love to insist that upon people when they meet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Hazel said. She faltered then continued again, stronger. “Nico told me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hecate hummed. “I see. Well, yes, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> kidnapped. In all of the truthful sense, she ran away to your father’s safety and freedom. But, as much as I am her friend, I did agree to watch her in her mother’s absence. When she ran, she did not tell me. I had no clue. So I guided Ceres through the darkest night with my torches, helping her search. And when the giants rose the first time I again sided with the gods. I fought my arch-enemy Clytius, made by Gaea to absorb and defeat all my magic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Clytius.” Hazel had never heard that name – Clai-tee-us – but saying it made her limbs feel heavy. She glanced at the images in the northern doorway, the massive dark shape looming over Jason and Leo. “Is he the threat in the House of Hades?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, he waits for you there,” Hecate said. “But first you must defeat the witch. Unless you manage that…” She snapped her fingers, and all of the gateways turned dark. The Mist dissolved, the images gone. “We all face choices,” the goddess said. ‘When Saturn arose the second time, I made a mistake. I supported him. I had grown tired of being ignored by the so-called Olympian gods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Despite my years of faithful service, they mistrusted me, refused me a seat in their hall. I was better suited to your father’s realm, respected only there, despite my disservice against him regarding his wife. I had believed I could dissuade Saturn away from him and my darling Proserpina once Jupiter was dethroned. Insolent of me, I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gale chittered angrily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It does not matter any more.” The goddess sighed. “I have made peace again with Olympus and the Underworld alike once more. Even now, when they are laid low – their Greek and Roman personas fighting each other – I will help them. Greek or Roman, I have always been only Hecate. I will assist you against the giants, if you prove yourself worthy. So now it is your choice, Hazel Levesque. Will you trust me or will you shun me, as the Olympian gods have done too often?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blood roared in Hazel’s ears. Could she trust this dark goddess, who’d given her mother the magic that ruined her life? Sorry, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She didn’t much like Hecate’s dog nor her gassy polecat either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she also knew she couldn’t let Jason and Leo die.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll succeed,” Hazel promised. ‘But I’m not choosing one of your paths. I’m making my own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The goddess arched her eyebrows. Her polecat writhed, and her dog snarled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to find a way to stop Gaea,” Hazel said. “We’re going to rescue our friends from Tartarus. We’re going to keep the crew and the ship together and we’re going to stop Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood from going to war. We’re going to do it all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The storm howled, the black walls of the funnel cloud swirling faster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Interesting,” Hecate said, as if Hazel were an unexpected result in a science experiment. “That would certainly be magic worth seeing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A wave of darkness blotted out the world. When Hazel’s sight returned, all three - the storm, the goddess and her minions - were gone. Hazel stood on the hillside in the morning sunlight, alone in the ruins except for Arion, who paced next to her, nickering impatiently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree,” Hazel told him. “Let’s get out of here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Nico asked as Arion deposited her on the Argo II.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel didn’t know how far they’d sailed in her absence but judging from their windblown hair and Percy’s shaking form, it’d been at great speed. Faintly, she fed Arion the rest of her golden nuggets out of her shaking palms. She was still shook up from her talk with the goddess. Arion whinnied and nuzzled the top of her head once before his presence completely vanished from her side. She glanced over the railing and saw the spray sea water follow Arion’s burst away from the ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hazel?” Nico asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her knees buckled. Nico and Percy grabbed her arms and helped her to the steps of the foredeck. She felt embarrassed, collapsing like some fairy-tale damsel, but her energy was gone. The memory of those glowing scenes at the crossroads filled her with dread.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I met Hecate,” she managed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t tell them everything. She remembered what Nico had said: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Their courage is already stretched to the limit.</span>
  </em>
  <span> But she told them about the secret northern pass through the mountains, and the detour Hecate had described that could take them to Epirus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you tell her we can’t sail when airbourne?” Percy asked, looking down to the pencil marks she’d scratched in the map. “I mean, I can try but-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told her.” Hazel turned to Nico. “She said she would try to obscure us from sea monsters to minimize delays and to ask you for assistance.” She scrunched up her face. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>If </span>
  </em>
  <span>you were in a good mood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico took her hands. His black eyes wracked her form. “Is that what she said exactly?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She paused. “She didn’t say your name but she did say to ask my brother for help and that my brother would assist with getting us treasure needed for the Doors.” She gave a weak laugh. “I don’t have any other brothers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mortal, no. But you do have a godly one,” Nico said quietly. Both her and Percy stopped breathing at this admission. Shock hit her in the gut. Another sibling? A </span>
  <em>
    <span>godly</span>
  </em>
  <span> sibling? Nico shook his head before they could question him. His eyes were full of concern. “Hazel, you met Hecate at a crossroads. That’s ... that’s something many demigods don’t survive. And the ones who do survive are </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> the same. Are you sure you’re-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” she insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she knew she wasn’t. She remembered how bold and angry she’d felt, telling the goddess she’d find her own path and succeed at everything. Now her boast seemed ridiculous. Her courage had abandoned her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She inhaled deeply, trying to shake off her crawling nerves. “Another brother, hmm? Fascinating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zagreus,” Nico said. “God of rebirth and hunting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rebirth. The image of Jason and Leo came back to her mind, especially with Hecate’s words echoing in her head: </span>
  <em>
    <span>they die.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She felt haunted by the thought of finding them dead on arrival. Would this treasure they were supposed to find by way of dwarfs or Zagreus supposed to bring them back to life? What if someone else died on the way? What if they got there and could only choose one?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling weak, she closed her eyes. “She said if he was in a good mood. Is he usually in a good mood?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Depends on who approaches him,” Nico said. He sighed deeply. “I’ll go. He likes me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not alone,” Hazel said without hesitation, so fast the words startled her to hear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy squatted down to their heights. “I can go with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico’s lip curled sourly. He looked away from Percy’s earnest gaze. “Zagreus would hate you. He had a falling out with Triton a few years back and hasn’t gotten over it since. Besides, you said you’d sleep next time we docked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You need to sleep too,” Hazel pointed out as Percy’s face fell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico closed his eyes. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll sleep.” He looked at the map and took the pencil from Hazel, marking a point on the coast of Calabria. “Dock here and wake me up. He should be stationed there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy looked at the spot before folding up the map and putting it away in his back pocket. “How do you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico helped Hazel to her feet. “Sibling’s intuition.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>fun fact of the night - i never realized hazel was 13 until after people started talking about it so lets pretend she's a 15 year old who swears like a sailor bc that's basically how i thought of her throughout the whole series.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. III: Frank</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Frank woke up as a python, which puzzled him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changing into an animal wasn’t confusing. He did that all the time. But he had never changed from one animal to another in his sleep before. He was pretty sure he hadn’t dozed off as a snake. Usually, he slept like a dog.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d discovered that he got through the night much better if he curled up on his bunk in the shape of a bulldog. For whatever reason, his nightmares didn’t bother him as much. The constant screaming in his head almost disappeared. Maybe the connection to a canine calmed the seething rage of Mars but the refusal to become a wolf, the imitation of Lupa, eased Ares’s pulsing anger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t want to return to the voices and splitting headache but he had no choice. Bracing himself, he changed back to human form. Immediately, the rage he’d been experiencing in his head returned.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fight them!</span>
  </em>
  <span> yelled Mars. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Take this ship! Defend Rome! Big swords!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The voice of Ares shouted back, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kill the Romans! Blood and death! Large guns!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His father’s Roman and Greek personalities screamed back and forth in Frank’s mind with the usual soundtrack of battle noises – explosions, assault rifles, roaring jet engines – all throbbing like a subwoofer behind Frank’s eyes. He sat up on his berth, dizzy with pain. As he did every morning, he took a deep breath and stared at the lamp on his desk – a tiny flame that burned night and day, fuelled by magic olive oil from the supply room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fire. Frank’s biggest fear. Keeping an open flame in his room terrified him, but with Hazel holding onto his stick of life, he was less nervous. It also helped him focus. The noise in his head faded into the background, allowing him to think.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d got better at this, but for days he’d been almost worthless. As soon as the fighting broke out at Camp Jupiter, the war god’s two voices had started screaming non-stop. Ever since, Frank had been stumbling around in a daze, barely able to function. He’d acted like a fool, and he was sure his friends thought he’d lost his marbles. He couldn’t tell them what was wrong. There was nothing they could do and, from listening to them talk, Frank was pretty sure they didn’t have the same problem with their godly parents battling it out in their heads, Roman and Greek aspects conspiring against each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed unfair. War was war at the end of the day, wasn’t it? Why did </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> get the fighting parent?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>War is justice! Strategy!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Mars screamed</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ares snarled viciously. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Vengeance! Chaos!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He groaned. They launched into another arguing stream. He stumbled out of bed, rubbing his forehead. The wall stabilized his exhausted form as he dressed himself. He pushed open the door and managed to make it the top deck without walking into anything. A small victory, he supposed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The light hit his eyes, painfully bright. With all the thundering in his head, he couldn’t handle another piercing smack to the face. He ducked his head and stumbled over to where the rest of the crew was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over the railing he saw a giant stretch of beach. The sand was so white, the sun’s rays bounced off it like glass. He tilted his gaze up to the giant stretches of rocky cliffs just beyond a portion of the beach. To the left, the sand turned into swathes of grass, leading to a bustling town. It was fairly late in the day so the beach was mingling around with people. If anyone noticed the giant ship docked off the edge, they didn’t act like it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t tell if it was the Athena Parthenos helping disguise them or just the general Mist. Either way he was grateful. He couldn’t imagine having to deal with keeping people from trying to board on top of the raging headache. He shook his head, pressing his fingers to his temple.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shut up, shut up, shut up</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The voices ignored him, only becoming louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He groaned and turned to look at the rest of the crew. Piper and Hedge were looking over the railing. Hazel was missing from the group but he wasn’t surprised. She’d taken the last watch with Percy and Nico and was likely crashed in her room by now. Percy, to no surprise, was still awake, though judging from Annabeth’s lowered voice and darkened gray eyes, that wasn’t going to last long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He needs someone to go with him!” Percy was protesting as Frank neared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyone else can go,” Annabeth snapped. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> need to sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank stumbled into place beside them. “Who’s going where?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth looked at Frank. Her eyes took him in. He felt too visible under her focused gaze, like he was some kind of blueprint she was analyzing. She looked back at Percy. “Nico’s going out into the city to meet his brother. Hazel met Hecate earlier and she suggested that he might be of assistance to get us through the House of Hades..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel met Hecate? Frank faltered, about to question her again when the voices amped up to the sound of gunshots and dying screams.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Witch! Evil! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mars yelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Throttle her!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ares agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He covered his face. “I’ll go with him,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> to distract from the voices in his head. Maybe meeting another god would make them </span>
  <em>
    <span>pick a side</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Maybe it’d make it worse. His hope laid heavily on the first maybe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth gestured at Frank. </span>
  <em>
    <span>See</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she was saying at Percy. Percy looked from her to Frank, as though ready to argue again, which didn’t make him feel any better on how much use he’d been generating for the team. The door to the deck reopened, silencing whatever Percy had been prepared to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico walked out. His hair covered his eyes. His wicked black sword glinted in the bright midday sun. He took one look at the people around him and scowled, deeply. Readjusting his jacket, he looked away from all of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m leaving now. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said, turning to the rope ladder leading to the beach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nico, you’re not going alone,” Percy said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> going with </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” The venom with which he spat the words had Percy pulling back. Hurt exploded all over his face. Frank winced in sympathy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m coming,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper pulled away from Hedge. “Me too. I’m tired of suffering from sea legs. Solid ground sounds good.” She smiled kindly. “Besides, everything works better in threes, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico took them both in. His scowl only darkened. “Fine,” he muttered. “Just hurry it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a baleful glance in Piper’s direction, he climbed down after Nico. The wet sand eased under his shoes. He rubbed his arms, taking in the sight, as they waited for Piper to hop down after them. She flipped her dagger a few times in her hand as she looked out to the sea of people before them. Her nervous smile didn’t make Frank feel any safer. Nico’s less-than-sunny disposition just made him feel worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the three of them ventured forth, Nico taking the lead, Frank considered the skinny boy ahead of them. Ever since they’d rescued him from his jarred prison, he’d been much more sullen than Frank remembered. The only person he ever spoke to willingly was Hazel. If she wasn’t around, the possibility that he’d talk about anything longer than a couple words or a sentence was slim. Unless, of course, the talk was designated to the quest at hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His presence had always had an uncurrent of death but now it leaked off of him like a tidal wave. As they walked, the people around them backed away. Whether they were avoiding him or just stepping out of the way of the only people </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>decked out in swimwear, Frank wasn’t sure but judging from the way Nico’s oversized jacket bunched up around the shoulders and his head ducked even further down, he had a feeling it didn’t make him feel any better about himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tartarus was a place Frank could barely imagine. Part of him was grateful Leo was gone - his mocking jokes an annoyance on Frank’s already weakened psyche - but even he didn’t want Leo to be stuck in a literal hellhole. Nico had been relatively lively before Tartarus. He smiled, cracked jokes. Now he was like a lifeless husk of himself. The only time Frank had seen him with any semblance of humanity it was when he was fighting off another round of sea monsters hellbent on crushing their ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes lit up with violence, the grit of his teeth, the anger radiating off of him - it terrified Frank to his core. Whatever he had gone through had changed him. And Frank had no way to help him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They exited the beach and led into the main town. The cracks of the path underneath him wobbled. Piper yelled as a slab of concrete gave way. He caught her quickly before she could faceplant. She smiled gratefully and patted his arm in thanks before they carried on after Nico.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank didn’t know what to think of Piper. Of all the people on the ship, they had the littlest relationship. Even Leo Frank had a better grasp on. But Piper’s main focus had appeared to be on her boyfriend, Jason, ever since the quest started and in his absence, she’d grown forlorn and quiet. With all the constant battles and the ongoing war being fought in his mind, he hadn’t had a chance to reach out to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She seemed to be powering through her misery. Frank felt nothing but pity for her. The two people she knew best had vanished into a pit of monsters and none of them knew how to get them out. If they were at all lucky, Jason and Leo would make it to the Doors and evade capture and they’d all remeet at Epirus. Percy had suggested it and Piper had lit up at the thought. But sitting behind her, silent as the dead, had been Nico. His head had drooped. He said nothing against the idea but Frank saw something in him. Something he was refusing to tell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper wrung her wrists. “So. A brother, huh?” Nico made no indication he was listening. “I didn’t even know Hades had any godly children.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Nico continued to ignore her, Frank made the choice of mercy. Ares and Mars only screamed at him for it. “He has three - well, technically, two.” He gestured loosely in the air. “Macaria, Melania and Zagreus. Melania, or Melinoe for Greeks, is, um, well-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Product of rape,” Nico said. “She’s still my father’s child.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank's throat went dry at Nico’s bitter tone. Even the battling voices went silent. Melania, the child of Proserpina and Jupiter, the latter who took the form of his older brother to seduce his </span>
  <em>
    <span>daughter</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Gross, but very in character for the man and the Romans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Piper said faintly. “Um, well…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“People don’t talk about my father’s children because they don’t respect the Underworld,” Nico continued. He glanced back at Frank. “I’m surprised </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> know about them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nervously, Frank rubbed the back of his neck. “I used to play mythomagic a lot as a kid. They were bonus cards in an Underworld deck I bought.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico went still, silently looking him over. Out of the corner of his eye, Frank saw Piper clutch the hilt of her dagger tighter. After a few seconds, Nico looked away. “I used to play too. I never got the full Underworld deck though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you got to </span>
  <em>
    <span>meet</span>
  </em>
  <span> the full Underworld deck,” Frank said, trying for lighthearted playfulness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico didn’t say anything for a few seconds then he shot Frank a wry smile - almost a ghost of who he’d been when they first met. “I suppose that is true.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned away and continued along the winding path into the town. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After about a half hour of walking, Nico stopped and pointed to a closed building. Outside the main door and walls of the building were a dozen napping serpents. Piper hissed, taking a step back. Her dagger glinted. Nico pushed her hand away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t,” he snapped. “They’re harmless. But they mean Zagreus is here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without concern, he walked into the pile of snakes. They slithered around his feet. Frank and Piper teetered nervously nearby. Neither one of them were interested in getting any closer. Nico knocked on the door, snapping a few words of Italian before the door finally opened. The man inside looked disgruntled. One of the snakes snapped at his feet. He let out what was clearly a curse and glared at Nico. Then his face immediately fell and he dropped to his knees, muttering a stream of Italian that only served to increase the disgruntled bothered look on Nico’s face. He glanced at the two of them behind him before squatting to the kneeling man. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The snakes curled around his ankles, hissing at the mumbling man. Nico began talking to him. Frank rubbed his wrists. He wished he knew what they were talking about. After a few minutes, Nico nodded and shook the man’s hand. He stepped out of the pile of snakes and ventured back to the other two.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zagreus is at the pavilion in the park,” he said. He pushed his hair out of his face. “It’s only another ten minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you say?” Piper asked. Nico sent her an annoyed look. “I mean, we don’t speak Italian so…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He inhaled deeply and started walking again. “My brother used to be a maenad.” He glanced back at Frank, who was trying to translate the Greek form and failing. “Bacchae to Romans.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought that was only for women,” Frank said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And?” Nico said, cutting his gaze at Frank. At the look, Frank wanted nothing more than to climb into his skin and vanish with the look Nico was giving him, the violent feeling of having touched a nerve and done the wrong thing. When Frank didn’t say anything, Nico looked away and kept walking. “He was a maenad until a little </span>
  <em>
    <span>incident</span>
  </em>
  <span> with Dioynsus and still has a penchant for wine, </span>
  <em>
    <span>especially</span>
  </em>
  <span> Italian wines. Whenever he decides to spend the day somewhere in Italy, he tends to bother the nearest winery into providing him their full stock at no cost. The snakes are an intimidation tactic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Piper said. She glanced back at the snakes piled behind them. “I guess it works if you don’t know they’re harmless.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico snorted. “They’re only harmless to other people. If he sics them on you, though…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank’s hands went clammy. “Oh. Sounds like a fascinating…” He faltered. “Person,” he finished lamely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nonbinary people weren’t outside Frank’s understanding but so far he hadn’t really come across anyone who told him they were as such. Part of him felt a little bad about that. Did they not see him as a good person to come out to? Or maybe the legion just didn’t feel like a safe place for that? Or maybe he was overthinking it and the legion didn’t have any nonbinary people at all? Or was that close-minded to think?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ventured to the pavilion in silence. Once they’d begun to near it, a crowd of people emerged into view. Men and women - and possibly nonbinary people, he thought - were gathered. In the center someone was telling a lively story, to which everyone in the vicinity seemed to be hanging on with great awe. The person in the center was the only one in a chair. Everyone else was either standing or lying on the ground. No one else was on the pavilion. Wine bottles were stacked around the marble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico stopped only a couple hundred feet from the gathering. His eyes swept over the crowd with the same unease Frank felt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zagreus!” he called out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The person turned to face him and stood. The crowd almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathed</span>
  </em>
  <span> with his motion. He laughed delighted. “Little brother!” Zagreus called back. “Come join me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they crept closer, Frank took in the sight of Nico and Hazel’s older brother. He was… </span>
  <em>
    <span>gorgeous</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Frank had never really considered himself as having anything for boys, he barely had anything for girls that </span>
  <em>
    <span>weren’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hazel, but Zagreus made his mouth dry and his knees shake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was tanned, the sun glistening off his olive skin. Cropped curly dark hair framed his face. His eyes were a deep brown, near black and yet so captivating. Wrapped around his shoulders was a giant python. It’s massive head rested curled around his wrist. He wore a thin white button-up, partially unbuttoned to tease his defined pecs. Jewelry dripped off his skin - golden bracelets, silver necklaces, a black choker, emerald rings. His pants were high-waisted and tight. When he stood, Frank could see how well they curved over the swell of his butt.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m so sorry, Hazel</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought as he envisioned running away with his dazzling man before him. He was almost ready to sink to his knees and listen to whatever Zagreus had to say for the rest of his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lay off them, Zag,” Nico said as his brother pulled him into a tight hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus laughed as he released him. His eyes looked over Frank then Piper. “But they seem so </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s Hazel’s boyfriend,” Nico muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Zagreus asked, eying Piper over. His smile was predatory, teeth flashing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank shook his head, mind clearing suddenly. Naturally the immediate war of his father came screaming back but he pushed it to the back of his mind and looked over to Piper. She looked as bad as he had felt. Her legs were actually shaking and she was gazing at the god, slack-jawed and entranced. She seemed about ready to keep over and join the rest of the crowd on the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Zag</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Nico hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus sighed. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he turned, Piper’s jaw clicked shut. She blinked rapidly and looked at Frank, confusion shining in her face. Nico fiddled with his fingers, eyes apologetic as he looked at them, his brother stepping back to his chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He likes to mess with people,” he said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The giant python slid off Zagreus’s shoulders. Frank tried not to shift as the python slid between his legs. Piper squeezed her eyes shut as it's tongue flickered out against her skin. Then the snake finally retreated away from them and dove into the crowd. Behind them, terrified screeches ran out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ares and Mars joined together in their excitement.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fight! </span>
  </em>
  <span>they screamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought, walking up onto the pavilion with Piper. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shut up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus waved his hand. Another chair joined him around the table. Nico sat down, fixing him with a look. He jerked his head in Frank and Piper's direction. Zagreus looked almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>bored </span>
  </em>
  <span>as he waved his hand, another double set of chairs appearing around the table. He sat back down and refilled his wineglass to the brim. He crossed his legs, sparing no look to the two sitting down across from him. He smiled gently at Nico.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Darling little brother," he said. "I'm so glad you've made it out of that horrible hell." He filled Nico's glass, uncorking another bottle as the current one emptied out. "Drink up."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm underage," Nico reminded him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed. "Only in physicality." But he tapped Nico's glass anyway. The shining purple turned into a transparent orange. He looked at the two across from him. His lip curled. "Would your </span>
  <em>
    <span>friends</span>
  </em>
  <span> like a beverage?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes darkened. "I </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn't </span>
  </em>
  <span>talking to </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>." The giant python swept past Frank's feet and under the table. Zagreus looked back at his brother. "Nico?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't be rude," he said, collecting the two glasses before Frank and Piper and placing them under his brother's hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Red wine sloshed out of the bottle. As the red-purple liquid swirled around the glasses, they turned a transparent orange like Nico's. When he handed the glasses back, Frank took a nervous sip. It was apple juice. Nico sent him a relaxed half-smile. Frank took that as encouragement and began drinking his juice in earnest. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The Olympian child I'll respect is Dionysus's," Zagreus said. He waved his hands again. A platter of various meats appeared. "I have no patience for the others." He smiled sinisterly. "Unless they'd like to join my followers."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico picked up a piece of smoked ham, nibbling along the edge. "They don't."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper slowly reached and snagged a piece of lettuce from under the brisket. Zagreus watched her carefully but said nothing. "You don't like Olympians?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not particularly," Zagreus said. He took a sip from his glass. "So what did you need?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The python shot forward from Zagreus's lap. It's teeth were larger and sharper than Frank had ever seen in a snake, poised no more than an inch from Piper's face. Her shriek still echoed in his head, even as it faded in the air. His heart hammered in his chest. Venom dripped off one fang, pooling into its bottom jaw. Nico's expression turned annoyed but he turned back to his brother.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Enemy! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ares shouted.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Destroy it!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It attacked Graecus scum! Praise it! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mars countered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Assistance with the House of Hades." Nico reached out with one hand. His fingertips stroked the bottom scales of the python, guiding it's face away from Piper and onto his palm. "Hazel met Hecate who said you may be able to provide something."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus smirked. "I assume she gave options?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Travel through the north to find dwarves," Nico said. "But airborne travel isn't available to us currently so she suggested you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leaning back in his cushioned seat, Zagreus drank his glass slowly. His eyes gazed skyward, as though he were simply taking in the sights. The giant python had now slithered out of his lap and was resting in Nico's. Its new position only served to place it in a better attacking distance of Frank and Piper.  Nico fed it pieces of meat while his brother considered helping them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank felt nothing but turmoil. He'd already been nervous to meet another god, but now he was scared. Zagreus clearly didn't like anyone else at the table but Nico. He had already admitted it. He would have mentioned that Hazel was on the quest, traveling to the House of Hades with them, to see if that spurred Zagreus's decision in their favour but any unsanctioned speak ran the risk of having the python's teeth sunk into his neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wondered how quickly he'd die.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chose to quickly nibble at a piece of steak instead of pondering that any further.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few minutes, Zagreus dropped his gaze. He refilled his emptied glass and drained it in one go. "I'd love to help," he said, uncorking a new bottle. "Us Underworld children have to stick together after all. But our father's interactions with you already have put Olympus on a thin line. They already hate that he goes against their so-called ancient laws. If I helped out for nothing…" A low growl echoed from deep within his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He refilled his glass, glaring at the liquid. He ran his finger thinly around the rim, sucking drips of wine off his finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Such hypocritical bastards," he said. "They will break their rules without batting an eye but as soon as our father does the same, they're ready to knock his doors down." He sucked his teeth, another growl eliciting. "If they found out about Hazel…" He released a bitter laugh and drank his glass, eyes bearing painfully into Frank. As though he were looking into his soul and picking it apart. "I'd like to help you, Nico. But I don't know how I would be able to without them throwing a fit. Especially in this current climate."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why would they throw a fit?" Piper asked, one eye on the snake watching her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus looked at her as though she were a pest he'd like to squash under his finger. "Why wouldn't they?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't understand."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled cruelly. "The gods despise my father. He has access to their enemies, he has access to </span>
  <em>
    <span>death.</span>
  </em>
  <span> And </span>
  <em>
    <span>death</span>
  </em>
  <span>, daughter of Aphrodite, comes for everything. People, animals, plants, </span>
  <em>
    <span>relationships</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pointed a perfectly manicured finger at her. His black nail polish seemed to swirl. Frank swore he saw a ghostly face swim to the top before vanishing back into the black. He looked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I do not respect those that do not respect my home. My father's realm is named after him, and he, as his children do, holds all the power of those that choose to linger there." He cut his eyes at them. "And power is what your pathetic breed desires and fears. No one shall have any more than them. My father is a justified man. He seeks no attempts to upset the balance and refuses to be controlled. They believe if they can limit him, they can destroy whatever possibility that one day they will perish along with it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed. "But they can't! Death is boundless. All they'll destroy is where they can go when it inevitably happens." He swirled his finger in his glass. "We all must perish one day, whether we are reborn anew or not."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank choked on his breath. This was too much to take in. "You're saying the gods will die."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Everything dies. Monsters, mortals, animals, gods," Zagreus said, easy, as though they were just discussing the weather. "And sometimes they may be reborn. Other times their essence returns back to what created it. Pan was just the beginning of our end." He pulled apart a slab of horny ham. "It will take many years, several millennia I imagine, but it will happen. And when it does, who will reign but my father? What will they be? Ghosts, meaningless."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Won't…" Piper faltered. She knew she was handling a live grenade of a man. "Won't he die as well? Your dad?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"His death will have no impact on ruling," Nico said. Frank jumped at the sound of his voice, having forgotten he was even there. "Hades is both his name and the name of the Underworld. If he dies, he still owns it. They are one in the same. He cannot be dethroned."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eternal princesses and princes, we are," Zagreus sighed. "So disappointing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You would hate to be king," Nico laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That doesn't mean I wouldn't want the opportunity to exist." He narrowed his eyes. "Of course the girls come into line first but-" He waved his hand flippantly. "-I'd deal with that if it occured."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Usurp your own sisters?" Nico's voice was teasing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus sipped at his wine. "Temporarily. A month or two. Then Mac can have it back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico snorted, stroking the top of the python's head. Frank felt like he'd stepped into the middle of a family brunch, hotly aware of himself and the lack of purpose he served in the moment. Within him Ares and Mars were still screaming but now at Zagreus, for discussing death so flagrantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>War never dies! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mars screamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kill him! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ares shouted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He disrespects us!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to take a knife and dig them out of his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Him first! </span>
  </em>
  <span>they both screeched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beside him, Piper was chewing at her lettuce like a rabbit. Her eyes were narrowed at Zagreus. Finally she ripped the lettuce leaf in two and swallowed it down thickly. "I don't understand how that has anything to do with-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course you wouldn't," he said. "You probably think love is the answer to everything. That it is infinite. But love is meaningless without the power of finality. The fear of its eventual end. Your relationship-" He cocked his head softly, his eyes laughing at her. "-is a painful nothing. And you have nothing else to bargain on. When you die, what will you have to prove your worth besides this quest? The love you had? What love, daughter of Aphrodite? You are single-minded." He laughed. "And for that you're already dead."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper's torn lettuce leaf fell to her lap. Her eyes were pained, welling up with tears. Frank wanted to reach out and console her but the python snapped it's jaws the moment he made to move and he went still again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Zagreus," Nico started but the god just laughed again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She asked me a question," he said loftily. "I am nothing but </span>
  <em>
    <span>honest</span>
  </em>
  <span>, dear brother. You know that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You don't need to be cruel."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I want to be cruel," he said. He reached out and curled his hand around Nico's jaw. "What have they done for you? Did they save you because they wished to or because they believed you would help them? For selfish reasons? Appeasing a lover? Finding out where the Doors were located? They are not sacrificial or kind." His voice softened even as his grip on Nico tightened. "What do they do for </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> of us in turn for what we provide?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico didn't pull away from the touch. His eyes fluttered shut and he sighed. His fingers kept stroking the python's head. "Please, just help us. For me and for Hazel, if no one else."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus stroked his cheek with his thumb. "If you desire it, little one." He pulled his hand away. "But I do not give my help easily, children of Olympus." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do we have to do?" Frank asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he stood, Zagreus waved his hand. The table vanished, along with the chairs, sending all of them, except for Nico, falling to their butts. Frank grunted as he stood, mindful of the pain and resisting the urge to rub his pants in public, even if it would alleviate the sting. Nico was now settled on a cushion, his apple juice beside his foot and mini platter of sweets next to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A challenge," Zagreus said. Two giant black rams, wool curled and thick, appeared on either side of him. One had a green bow, the other a pink one. "If you can capture your ram and bring it to the pavilion before I capture mine, I will give you what you need to travel through the House of Hades without falter. If you do not manage to capture your ram in time or you deny my challenge, well…" He snapped his fingers. "Nico comes home with me and you get </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico blinked in surprise. Immediate protests fell from Frank and Piper's mouths but Zagreus silenced them with a glare. "Would you rather I take Hazel? Either one, I am content with. You do not deserve either of my siblings, but I will leave you with one, should you lose or forfeit."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The way to the House-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You already have that information," Zagreus said. He snapped his fingers again. Another python appeared over his shoulders, smaller than the one curled into Nico's lap. His clean elegant clothing was gone now, replaced with combat boots, cargo shorts and a camouflage shirt. A bow was strapped around his chest, glinting obsidian arrows in a holster on his hip. He still looked far too attractive. "Make your choice."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're the </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span> of hunting," Frank protested. "This isn't fair."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus laughed. "What is that saying you mortals are so fond of? All's fair in love and war? Well, son of war, daughter of love-" He smiled so predatory Frank's skin crawled. "-do you accept my challenge?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper looked at Frank. He nodded. They had no choice. They needed his help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We accept," Piper said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus's smile only turned more vicious. "Perfect," he all but purred. He snapped his fingers and the rams disappeared. "I suggest you start hunting, little demigods."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He vanished without another word, leaving anguish and fear crawling deep within Frank's belly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Piper pulled open these creaky doors to an abandoned run down stable and peeked inside. She shook her head and sighed. They had decided to go from one end of the town to the other and then search around the beach if they came up short. Frank had even turned in a sheepdog for a moment, trying to pick up on the scent but he couldn't place any of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neither one of them wanted to admit the possibility that the ram wasn't even in the town. That it had been sent to some far off distance away from them so they had no choice but to fail.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Failure is not an option!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ares bellowed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Greeks do not fail!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Greeks always fail!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Mars fought back. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Romans never fail!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Both your empires are dead, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Frank thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You lost, shut up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The thought of death slipped back into his mind, Zagreus and Nico's conversation on the eventual end of everything echoing in between all the thundering shouts and war. The thought twisted his stomach unevenly. The way they spoke about it like it was a simple fact. Death was always such an uneasy thing to think about. His death lingered so close he hated to contemplate it for too long, sure he'd just be tempting fate if he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he couldn't help but dwell on their conversation now. That the end of gods would one day occur. Faunus - Pan - was gone. Frank hadn't even known about that but he remembered Percy mentioning something about his friend Grover being the Lord of the Wild.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Everything ends</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Zagreus said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sometimes their essence returns back to what created it</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is that what had happened? He, a god, had died and his essence returned back to the universe, which gave it to Percy's faun friend? Weirder things had happened. It was unsettling to imagine the absolute death of a deity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ventured deeper into the conversation. Zagreus's snapped words at Piper played back with a harsher mocking tone. Frank snuck her a quick glance. He didn't know what Zagreus meant by her relationship being meaningless but judging from how red her eyes still were, she did and she was not happy with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Um. You know, gods are just mean sometimes," he said. The words felt as stupid out of his head as they did in it. He looked out to the street, trying to find kinder words. It was hard with the god's dual voices screaming. "I'm sure he was just trying to piss you off."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper looked down at her dagger. "He was. But he… he was right." She sniffled. "I don't really want to talk about it right now though, Frank." She rubbed her teary eyes. "Let's just keep looking for that ram."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico had been left at the pavilion, trapped under the weight of the giant python. Without his ability to translate Italian, they were at a loss with questioning the locals. Frank wished they had some kind of beacon or item that would help. So far all they had were blistering feet and baked skin. Their only saving grace was that Zagreus hadn't appeared to tell them they'd lost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or maybe he wouldn't even appear, Frank thought miserably. He definitely seemed like the type to take his prize and leave without stating a word, leaving them to wander the town mindless for a ram only to tell them they lost hours before if they ever actually found it. He did not like them or respect them enough to make the challenge fair after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank deeply wished Jason were still with them. He and all the other wolf-trained demigods used to sneak out of the Cohort in the middle of the night to hunt rabbits and squirrels across the plains of Camp Jupiter. While his memories were still missing, his instincts weren't. A ram would just be larger prey for him to narrow down on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Jason were here, the ram probably would've been found already and they'd be on their way to Epirus once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But as it was, Jason was trapped in literal hell, undergoing conflicts that Nico refused to speak of. Then again Frank wouldn't be surprised if he came out untraumatized from the event. All the demigods Lupa trained spoke of her methods with laughter and joy, like it had been a fun game rather than a torturous ordeal in which they were on the brink of death at every stage and forced to watch other kids be murdered for failing a basic task.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dakota had even joked about Jason ripping the jaw off another child during a hand to hand combat session. Dakota talked about everything with ease but the way he spoke about this, with fondness and nostalgia, had Frank horrified to his core. He was grateful that the wolves had taken him directly to Camp Jupiter instead of the Wolf House. He didn't think he would've survived the ordeal of training there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel and Frank had both decided on the eventful night the ship set sail that they would try to help Jason understand his wolfish instincts and, if they were lucky, realize just how horrific his training had been and maybe talk him into seeking help after all of this was over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that plan had been thrown out the window, following Jason and Leo into a pit of monsters and despair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He trusted that they both were safe, in whatever way any mortal could be in Tartarus. Jason was a powerful demigod with razor sharp instincts. And annoying as Leo could be, Frank couldn’t deny that he was insanely smart and quick on his feet. No doubt he’d already constructed some giant missile or whatever out of monster bones and was blasting their way to the Doors right now to meet the rest of the crew there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It only pushed the need to find this stupid ram and get the thing that would help them walk through the House of Hades unfettered by whatever traps laid there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper pushed her hair out of her face and squatted with a groan. “I wish we had a </span>
  <em>
    <span>clue</span>
  </em>
  <span> or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish we spoke Italian,” Frank said. He turned to look at the people mingling around them. “Do you think any of them speak English?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even if they do, they don’t look like they’ve seen a giant black ram.” She grunted as she stood back up. “I mean, if it were me, I’d be crowded around it, taking photos.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank let out a noise of agreement. He’d too probably be amazed by a solitary black ram in a town that only seemed to have a gathering of chickens, dogs and cats. He looked down at the chicken pecking the ground a few feet away from them. It fluttered out of the way as someone walked by it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pluto was also known to have chickens,” he said. The chicken’s feathers seemed to glisten black as it shifted around. “In mythomagic, if you had the animal companion play unlocked, you could use them to attack enemies. Same as Cerberus and…” He looked over at Piper. “...rams. They’re one of his sacred animals.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lost, Piper crossed her arms. “So... you want us to call him and ask him where it is?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no,” he said, thoughts formulating. “Black rams, screech owls and serpents are the sacred animal of man who runs the dead.” He grinned, thrilled and certain. “We need to find a graveyard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just as Frank thought, they found their ram in the nearest graveyard. They had walked around, talking to locals and tourists until they found a local who spoke English. With some confusion, she had pointed them in the direction of the town’s graveyard. The ram was positioned between two gravestones, eating the grass. It’s pink bow was still furled in it’s wool. Piper grabbed his arm as he stepped closer to it. She pointed at a fallen green ribbon, a few feet off to the side, lying on top of a tomb.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swallowed thickly. “That doesn’t mean he caught it,” he said. “That just means that’s his ram to catch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked uneasy but tried for a hopeful smile and nodded. “Yeah. You’re right. We still have a chance.” She looked over to the ram. “So how do we catch ours?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No clue,” Frank sighed. He took off his backpack and pulled out a pack of rope. “Lasso it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Be a man!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ares yelled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stab it in the eye!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No! Wrestle it into submission!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Mars shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stab!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wrestle!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m gonna shoot myself, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Frank thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he tied the rope into a loop, he wished Hazel had been with them. With her skill in riding Arion, she was basically a cowgirl. She could probably lasso the ram easily. Then again, it was her father’s sacred animal. She probably wouldn’t have even needed the lasso. All she would’ve had to do was walk up to the beast and it would follow her to the pavilion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper exhaled sharply as he tightened the knot. “I’ll keep it distracted while you aim.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded and she ran from his side, skirting along the graveyard far out of the eyesight of the ram. She showed up a few seconds later ahead of him. As he snuck closer and closer to the ram, he was finding it harder and harder to focus over the pounding in his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t let Graecus scum help you! Kill her! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mars whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Always let Graecus scum help you! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ares parried</span>
  <em>
    <span>. But kill her anyway!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up,” he hissed, taking another crouched step forward. A branch snapped under his foot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could’ve screamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, he went silent, staring at the back of the ram as it stopped grazing. Its mighty head raised, thick black horns glinting like a knife in the sun. Ahead of him, Piper was quickly drawing close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here, girl,” she said. “Come on, over here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank lifted his foot carefully off the snapped branch and onto a flat surface of grass, raising to a slow stand. He lifted the lasso with him and hoped his arm was just as good with a rope as it was with arrows. The ram considered Piper curiously but took a step back as she closed in, bleating balefully. He saw it steady its stance and remembered a fateful video he’d seen on the nature channel - two rams hurtling at each other in battle, their horns clanging against each other violently until one of them had toppled the other. The winner wound up beating the life out of the other with it’s hooves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gestured weakly in Piper’s direction. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stop moving!</span>
  </em>
  <span> he mouthed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stopped, eyes flying down to the ram. Frank exhaled slowly and threw the lasso. It sank around the ram’s neck. Relief hit him. Piper’s eyes lit up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then everything immediately went downhill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ram all but </span>
  <em>
    <span>screamed</span>
  </em>
  <span> it’s displeasure before rearing forward so hard and fast, the rope snapped at the spot Frank had tied the loop. Piper shrieked and managed to jump out of the way just in time to avoid the stampeding beast. It barreled down past four sets of tombstones before it turned around. Its hooves scraped at the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank swore and hauled himself to the side as the ram came back at him. He scrambled up, almost tripping over tombstones as he ran to Piper’s side. She whipped out her dagger, breathing heavily. She’d scraped up a good portion of her knee.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stand your ground!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Use the girl as bait!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>If ever Frank met his father again, he was going to have a hard time not wanting to punch him in the face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If you’re not going to help me</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>then shut up!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Both voices immediately went quiet but he felt their dual displeasure burn in the back of his mind. He dodged the ram’s charge again. It barreled straight into a tombstone, shattering it into miniscule pieces. Piper swore violently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think you can turn into another one?” she asked as the ram shook its head, clearing dust from it’s wool and horns. “Maybe lock horns? I can try to get on top and tie it back up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as the ram turned to face them one more, he turned into a black ram of his own. He was about a foot shorter than the creature in front of him and painfully aware of it. At least when he’d been human, he could look the beast in the eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The creature stormed at him without fail. He stormed back, raising up to his back legs and slammed his head into the other’s. The ram’s horn dug into the skin just under his eye. He let out a grunt and eased back. The ram’s black eyes gazed at him. He scraped his foot against the ground, his furry butt touching the side of another gravestone. Behind the ram, Piper was creeping up, still at a safe distance but closing in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slammed his horns into the ram again, careful to tilt his head enough to the side to scrape the other’s face. It didn’t work but rather a cracking sound like splintering wood exuded instead. As Frank retreated again, he saw that the left horn had been broken off at the tip. Now it had four sharp edges to cut into him with. He shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper was close now. She crawled up onto the gravestone - something Frank’s grandmother would have scolded her for -  and steadied herself to jump once the ram had been knocked back enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank ran shot forward again, slamming with all his force to send the ram skittering back. Piper gave a triumphant yell as she tackled the beast. She grabbed the rope still clung to it’s neck and began wrapping the snapped end back around it. The ram howled it’s anger and began to buck into the air, trying to shake her off. With a painful grunt, she slipped off the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ram raised its feet to stomp her. Frank charged forward again, slamming his horns straight into its chest. A dirty move by ram standards but not by Frank standards.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Anything to win!</span>
  </em>
  <span> both voices vollied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ram toppled over with Frank’s force, missing Piper’s legs by a mere half inch. It bellowed angrily but didn’t raise. Frank had won the posturing fight. He gave a light tap to it’s heaving chest just to make things clear before turning back into a human. Piper had a hand pressed to her chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not how I want to die,” she said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same,” Frank laughed. He looked at the splayed out ram. It’s black eyes were peering up at him. “But I won the fight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper rolled over, pushing herself up with her hands and knees. She dusted them off on her pants before walking up to the ram. It tilted it’s head back, allowing her to tie the rope back around the loop. With one tug, it raised up onto its feet and stared at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think it’ll carry us to the pavilion?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank looked into it’s black eyes. “I’m going to guess </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper’s nose wrinkled but she wrapped the rope tight around her hand and tugged on it again. The ram let out another baleful bleat but followed on their heels. It took them a couple minutes to maneuver out of the graveyard. Looking back at the mess they’d created Frank felt nothing but guilt for disturbing the resting place of the dead. As though sensing his thoughts, the ram nudged his back and bleated again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He froze. Piper stilled beside him. She opened her mouth to question him but he just pointed to the graveyard. The ram let out another bellowing bleat and another. As it released noise after noise, the shattered tombstones began to lift into the air, forming solidly once more. A dark fog crept out of the earth swirling and hiding the graveyard from view for only a few seconds before it faded away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The graveyard looked pristine now. Tombs were now cleaned and pure white. Flowers had sprung up all over the earth, wrapping softly around the reformed obsidian gravestones. The place now had a look of sanctuary rather than mourning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ram let out a final bleat and then began to walk forward once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was cool,” Piper said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Frank agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They turned and continued to guide the ram out of the graveyard and into the town. As they entered into the park, still empty from Zagreus’s snake attack, Frank felt nothing but relief when he only spotted Nico at the pavilion. Piper let out a deep sigh and grinned. The two of them began to hurry along, urging the ram as fast as they could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were maybe a hundred feet away when Zagreus came into view. He was running fast, but his carefree look made it seem like he was only jogging. His ram was on his back, complaining loudly, and his snake was slithering at top speed ahead of his feet. Piper growled and began tugging desperately at their ram.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come on, we caught you first! Just hurry it </span>
  <em>
    <span>up</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she groaned, bouncing on her heels like she’d be sprinting if it weren't for the giant lazy ram they had to pull along.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ram gave her a bored look and continued to move along at the same speed it had been. Zagreus neared them by a few hundred feet, letting out a mocking laugh as he took notice of them. Frank’s insides boiled as the god grew closer and closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought. This wasn’t going to be how he lost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll distract him,” he said. “You get the ram to the pavilion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Frank, he is carrying a giant ram on his back,” Piper hissed. “What if he throws it at you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just get the ram to the pavilion,” Frank repeated. “We are </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> losing this challenge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper gave him a mock salute and continued to pull the ram along as Frank began to walk towards Zagreus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I must say,” he said as he gained distance, not at all sounding out of breath. “I am delighted you got so close. Your conviction to help your teammates is </span>
  <em>
    <span>wonderful</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank’s eyes narrowed and when the god was finally close enough, he threw aside his bag and charged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hand-to-hand combat had never been his best forte. If he had to list his skills in order, it would be archery, turning into animals and then swordplay. Honestly, hand-to-hand combat rarely ever came into use. He was hard to take down but his opponents had the luck of always being smaller and quicker than him. Hazel had even taken him down a few times with nothing but a bright grin that made his stomach flip desperately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even now, he knew that if the god wasn’t carrying a giant ram, he’d be screwed. But he threw his entire weight into him, knocking him off course. The snake slithering ahead turned and snapped at Frank’s legs but he jumped out of the way quickly, snarling at the reptile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For once he understood why the wolf demigods like to fall on all fours and </span>
  <em>
    <span>bite</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He had nothing but gut instincts running through his head and they were all telling him to scuffle with the enemy and eat their hearts. Gross, but he wasn’t going to complain if it kept him going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus let out a little laugh, turning to face Frank. There was nothing but delight on his face. “Fascinating little demigod, you are,” he said. “I think I see why my little sister likes you so much. Very nice papa bear instincts.” He looked back at Piper still pulling the ram to the pavilion. “I wonder if they’ll grant you victory.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank stood up slowly. “Of course they will,” he said. “I am a child of Mars. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We do not lose.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He charged again, turning back into the giant black ram at the last minute. Zagreus kicked at him. His face hadn’t changed, still delighted even as his foot snagged into the curve of Frank’s horns. He yanked back, bringing the god downwards. It didn’t work as well as he wanted. Instead of falling, Zagreus just </span>
  <em>
    <span>snapped</span>
  </em>
  <span> his foot off at the ankle. Shadows bit up from the earth, molding around his bleeding leg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shaking the foot free of his horns, Frank kicked it away. Blood had splattered against his cheek. Zagreus began jogging backwards. His smile was teasing, playful. Frank looked between him and Piper. She was almost at the pavilion but Zagreus was fast. Even at a half-jog, he’d still make it there before her and smacking at him was only pushing him closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Strategy, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mars said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Justice.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank was almost distracted by his voice, alone in solitude. Ares’s echoing didn’t follow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mars’s voice was calm, peaceful now. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You are a child of Mars, aren’t you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked back up to Zagreus and began running around him, storming towards his side once he was close enough. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I am</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus avoided him this time. His snake launched at Frank’s side but seamlessly he turned into a bird and flitted away back to Zagreus, turning back into a ram as he shoved at Zagreus again. He stumbled back before settling his ram down onto the ground. He gestured out at Frank as though to say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Come at me, bro</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank came at him. Zagreus’s arms swung uselessly through the air as Frank turned into a bird again, swooping past his shoulder. He slid back into human form, hooking his legs around the god’s throat and rolling to the side with all his might. He released him before they could both collapse, springing up into a handstand and hopping backwards. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His body had never felt so light in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus didn’t last long on the ground though. Like a viper, he was already moving, shooting forward and barrelling at Frank. He caught him around the stomach, swung him up over his head and then back down in a painful smash. Frank let out a guttural scream as pain spiked up his back but even then, he couldn’t find it in himself to stop fighting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swung his leg out, knocking Zagreus off his feet. He jumped up and pinned the god with one knee firmly planted on his throat. He raised a lion clawed hand, a clear threat of what would occur if he moved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind him, Piper let out an excited shout.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank looked up. Their ram was firmly settled on the pavilion, grazing just off the edge of it. Piper was at its side doing a delighted little dance. The feeling of victory powered through Frank’s chest. He released Zagreus, helping pull him up to a stand. The god looked him over, amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose I should disqualify you for cheating, but I haven’t had such an interesting scuffle in quite some time,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank frowned. “What? We didn’t cheat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus cocked his head and then laughed, rich and deep. “Oh, he must’ve done it without telling you. Olympian gods...” He squatted down and picked up his snake. “So dramatic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he rose again, Frank realized that they were standing on equal height now, as though the god had shrunk or… he had grown? He looked down at his feet, finding his pants were now cuffed a lot </span>
  <em>
    <span>higher</span>
  </em>
  <span> than he remembered them being.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What- am I taller?” he whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Blessing of Mars,” Zagreus said easily. He clicked his tongue, snapping at the ram still laid out on the ground. With a huff, the ram rose and followed them quickly up to the pavilion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blessing of Mars?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper grinned at Frank then her smile faltered. She looked him over. “Wait. Did you get taller?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Blessing of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mars</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Zagreus repeated, annoying. “Honestly, I swear you all don’t listen on purpose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The blessing of Mars is height?” Piper looked down at her hands. “Mine was </span>
  <em>
    <span>a dress,</span>
  </em>
  <span> this isn’t fair.” She looked at him. “I want to be tall.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would also like to be tall,” Nico said as his brother guided the giant python off of him. He looked at his shadow foot. “What happened to your leg?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I broke it off and</span>
  <em>
    <span> no</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Zagreus said. “Stay tiny. As for you-” He looked Piper over and shrugged. “Beg someone else.” He stretched, cracking his spine. “The blessing of Mars - or Ares, if you swing that way - tends to be strength, tactic and battle skills. Height is just an added benefit. After all, who listens to child-sized people?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does your dad know what children look like?” Piper muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank snorted. That was fair. Even before the blessing, he’d been tall and definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> child size. “So. We won the challenge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus looked at him. “Impatience does not become you, child of Mars.” He waved them off. “Give me a second, would you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He melted into a black pool of shadowy vapour in the ground. The sight of it had Frank squirming, remembering the last time someone had vanished inside a giant black pit. Piper and Nico looked away as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico stood, dusting fallen scales off his pants. Both rams bustled past Piper and Frank and began to nuzzle the top of his head. He petted them both, all the while muttering, “Do not eat my hair again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The scene was cute, calming. For a moment, Frank could forget that Nico had been tortured. He seemed so at peace with two snakes curling around his feet and two rams attempting to eat his hair despite his protests and complaints. Then he caught both their eyes and his face turned somber once more. He pushed the rams away. With a saddened bleat each, they retreated to gaze against the ground around the pavilion once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stepping out of the pool of shadowy vapour, Zagreus emerged carrying a small box and a small bag. “First things first, you fucked up darlings.” All of them looked at him, confused and worried. Frank’s stomach churned angrily. “The House of Hades is crawling with spectors, too many for either one of my siblings to handle alone or together. You should’ve traveled along the north as Hecate suggested. It would have laid your path near to Dalmatia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the name, Nico’s eyes went wide. “Dalmatia?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. The scepter of Diocletian lays there in his tomb. Find it and you’ll be able to command the legions of dead.” He opened his bag, pulling out half of a black ram’s horn. “I know the distance is too far for you to travel in your current state, Nico, and Hazel’s skills in the other areas of our father’s realm are lacking, but crush this beneath your feet and it will lead you where you want to go. Two pieces for two trips.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He put the ram’s horn back in and closed the bag back up, hanging it off to Nico. “Secondly!” He clicked the box open, displaying inside about a dozen cookies. “When you arrive at Epirus, you will be offered a chalice to drink from.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Offered by who?’ Piper asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First of all, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>whom</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Zagreus corrected. “And also, I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. Just know that the chalice will be filled with poison.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank shifted uneasily. “So you’re saying that we shouldn’t drink it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I wasn’t finished!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Zagreus growled, only relaxing when Nico reached out to gently touch his wrist. He looked from his brother to the other two. “You absolutely should drink it, or you’ll never be able to make it through the temple. The poison connects you to the world of the dead and lets you pass into the lower levels. The secret to surviving is-” He nodded down to the cookies with a smile. “-barley!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank stared at him. “Barley.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep! These are my mother’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>special</span>
  </em>
  <span> barley cookies.” He beamed. “She always leaves a batch for me before she is forcefully dragged to her summertime jail by my lovely grandmother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask why?” Piper asked, her voice both concerned and wary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zagreus rolled his eyes. “Obviously, because I like drinking poison.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico closed his eyes, weary, as Frank frowned. Piper just nodded like that made perfect sense. “Makes sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly.” Zagreus clacked the box shut. “Eat these before you step into the House of Hades. The barley will absorb enough of the poison that you shouldn't die from it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper took the box of cookies. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t do it for </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, daughter of love.” He cocked his head. “I can see your soul, you know. You’ve lived a long and </span>
  <em>
    <span>dull</span>
  </em>
  <span> life. Spice things up. Maybe then I’ll accept your entry into the home of my father with gratitude rather than contempt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico shot his brother an annoyed look and took Piper by the wrist, guiding her away from the pavilion. “I’ll see you some time, Zag.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some time soon, I hope!” Frank made to follow them when Zagreus grabbed his arm. “You stay for a moment, son of war.” Frank’s stomach flipped. Zagreus regarded him carefully. “Stop using my sister to hide from death.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your life is tied to a piece of wood but that is </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> curse to maintain, not hers.” Zagreus’s hand only tightened on his arm. “I do not appreciate men who use the women in their lives, as though they are less than equal. She is not a purse, Frank Zhang.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somehow hearing the god use his full name versus an epithet had Frank feeling colder and closer to death than when his lifeline was literally burning away in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She asked-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you should’ve said no. What if you need to use your life again?” Zagreus asked. “And she is miles away. She does not need to worry about your life </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> hers. She already died once. We would </span>
  <em>
    <span>like</span>
  </em>
  <span> to see her live longer than this time.” He released him. “If you please me, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Frank</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I may take pity on you when you finally perish so I </span>
  <em>
    <span>suggest</span>
  </em>
  <span> you do not disappoint me </span>
  <em>
    <span>or </span>
  </em>
  <span>her. I do not take betrayals of my family lightly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frank’s knees shook under him. “I won’t,” he promised, voice weak. “I care about Hazel a lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” Zagreus said. “Keep it that way.” He smiled thinly, the shadowy vapour curling around his legs and pulling him away from view. “Until we meet again, Frank Zhang.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>chubby frank is a good frank but chubby and tall frank is fucking galaxy brain bc size difference, baby!!</p><p>edit: angelica drew zagreus!!! please check out him out <a href="https://butt-puncher.tumblr.com/post/625101196821135360/zagreus-from-happyk44-s-rewrite-of-the-house-of">here</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. IIII: Percy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Percy woke up, he didn't move. Normally any waking immediately led to him jumping up and running for the deck. Sometimes he'd detour to the kitchen, grab a slice of stale toast someone forgot to collect. That usually ended up being his breakfast for the day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now the ache of exhaustion kept him from wanting to shift. He eagerly wanted to roll back over and go to sleep again, maybe even throw out a prayer to Hypnos to make it last longer this time but he knew he couldn't. Every second he wasn't awake was a second that he wasn't pushing the ship along at maximum speed. It was a second that meant the difference between making it to the Doors on time, between success or failure.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sailing around the tip of Italy was the only thing they could do that wouldn't lead the boat to exploding, killing everyone on board in a fiery furnace. But sailing around the tip was also the thing that was cutting down their travel the most. Cutting over Italy would've been so much shorter. To his great misfortune, the moment the ship became airborne every piece of sailing knowledge he'd suddenly generated vanished as fast as it had popped into his head, as though his mind were a sieve being shaken out. It slipped through the cracks, leaving behind only a bare feeling of what he once knew.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So they kept to the ocean. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Guilt had been strangling him for the last few days. For not being able to retain his sailing knowledge, for not being strong enough to conquer the sea monsters that had been attacking them by himself, for not being powerful enough to push the boat along faster, for not being </span>
  <em>
    <span>enough</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ever since Jason and Leo had vanished into the pit that led to Tartarus, he had wanted to hide. He still could remember, vividly, how it felt to be toppling towards the pit, unable to stop himself from rolling forward, only to be yanked up into the air and thrown onto the ship's desk. He'd hit his head so hard he'd blacked out. When he came to, he was in his bed, Piper attending to him, her eyes red.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he asked what happened, why she looked so upset, she'd told him. The misery in her voice made him want to punch himself. If only he'd gotten Jason up to the ship faster, if only he hadn't passed out, if only he'd been </span>
  <em>
    <span>better</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The only person he could stomach being around was Annabeth. Leo and Jason were Piper's best friend and her boyfriend respectively. Jason had been the leader of the Fifth Cohort, close to both Frank and Hazel. Interacting with them just made him feel worse and worse for being the reason they were gone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Annabeth kept trying to make him rest but he didn't know how to explain to her that he couldn't rest. He had to make up for his failure. Without Leo, the ship was only operating at a fraction of what it could be. Without Jason, air assaults couldn't be fought against. They were stuck trying to speed along the Tyrrhenian Sea to Greece because he wasn't fast enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn't let them down again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His stomach curled as he finally pushed himself up. Hunger pains yanked at him. He swung his legs off the bed and groaned. His muscles ached like they'd been slowly grated. He reached for the small bottle of nectar he kept stashed in the closest drawer. He'd diluted it down with chilled water to keep himself from burning up while also being able to chug the whole thing and get as much strength restoration and healing as possible</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The dilution tasted like watered down cookie dough but it worked in a pinch. His muscles were still sore but it didn't hurt nearly as much to move. He stashed the bottle away once more. He had a feeling knowing about it would only annoy Annabeth even more and he wasn't going to piss off the only person on the ship who wasn't secretly upset with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His stomach churned again, but not from hunger pains this time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico. Ever since rescuing him, he'd been avoiding Percy like the plague. It reminded him of how they'd been after Bianca died - Nico angry and hating him. He'd thought, since the aftermath of the last war, they'd been getting better. Yeah, they weren't the best of friends or anything but Percy had come home one evening to find his mom and Paul tucking Nico in on the couch, the TV playing a barrage of old silent films. He'd looked so peaceful. Even when they met up at Camp Jupiter and Nico was evasive about why he looked so familiar to Percy, he’d been nice. Percy had seen him smiling a lot, especially at Hazel.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now he just looked like a sick dog. Beaten down and terrified of everything. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Especially</span>
  </em>
  <span> Percy. Whenever Nico walked into a room, if Percy was in there alone, he'd immediately turn and walk right out. Percy had been trying to talk to him but he only ignored him or scampered off the moment he realized Percy was there. The only time they had any conversation was about the quest or travelling or sea monsters. Nothing concrete, nothing </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Percy didn't even want to know about Tartarus like the others did - he just wanted to know Nico was doing okay.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he never got to ask.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It just made Percy feel like shit. Him and Nico had always had a tumultuous relationship, culminating in betrayals and attempted murders on both sides, but he didn't think it was anything worth being avoided for. Especially when they seemed to have gotten past it. Though, maybe whatever Nico had gone through, had led him to seek the safety of people who, you know, hadn't tried to strangle him to death when he was twelve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Whenever he remembered it, Percy's gut instinct was to brush it off. He'd just been betrayed by someone he had taken the moment to trust and he was in an Underworld jail - which was Nico's fault - when he had the fate of the world on his shoulders </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> he had an army waiting for him to come command them into battle. He was allowed to be pissed off. But thinking like that only made him feel worse. Nico was </span>
  <em>
    <span>twelve</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And Percy had grabbed him and tried to choke him to death, essentially for being tricked by his father.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All the things Nico had done for him - saving them in the labyrinth, helping in the battle at Camp Half-Blood, leading him to Mrs. Castellan, telling him about the curse of Achilles, even bringing him to the Underworld and the Styx - and he'd been too angered to realize that Nico wasn't at fault. Of course, he wouldn't want Percy in his father's prison. Hadn't he done everything he could to help? And Percy had tried to kill him for being a little bit selfish. If he'd been in Nico's place - no memories and no family - he would've done the same thing to know who he used to be. Hadn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> scoured for Annabeth for months when his memories had been yanked from his head?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy shook his head. He couldn't dwell on the past. He had to just keep moving forward and hope he could make it up to him in other ways - prove he was still a safe person. Even if Nico didn't believe it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His skin rubbed uncomfortably against his clothes. The moment Frank, Piper and Nico had disembarked from the ship, Annabeth had shoved him into his cabin. He'd crashed the moment he laid down, not bothering to change, which was a mistake. His clothes were heavily crusted in salt residue. He considered leaving and just dealing with it, as he had been for the last few days, but even he had a limit on how much he could let himself stink like seawater.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He peeled his clothes off and threw them down into a corner of his cabin. Grabbing a towel and fresh clothes, he opened the door. A quick rinse in the shower should help, he thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico was passing through the hall, rubbing his eyes as though he'd just woken up. Percy's stomach flipped. He tried to smile softly as he passed by but the moment Nico looked at him, he shoved past Percy quickly. Like just looking at him had burned him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy wilted but carried onto the shower. The rinse helped water him up, clearing out the sleepless fog that had been cluttering his mind. He toweled off, got dressed and half-jogged to the kitchen, where voices were spilling out in heavy cacophony.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Annabeth’s brows furrowed as she spotted him but she gave a gentle grin. He slipped past everyone else to kiss her cheek good morning. She snorted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How long was I asleep?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She ran her hand over his, thumbing his palm gently. “Four hours? Give or take how long it took you to actually fall asleep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pretty quickly,” he murmured. He turned to the rest of the group. “Are we still docked? I can get us moving-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not yet, sea baby,” Hedge huffed. He bit through an empty soda can. “Apparently, there’s a detour through-” He looked over to Frank. “-where again?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Frank fiddled with his fingers. “Diocletian’s tomb.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s that?” Percy asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He was the last great pagan emperor,” Frank said. He glanced nervously to the corner where Nico was standing, almost hidden in the darkness. Percy pinched his nails into his fingertips, dragging his focus back to Frank. “He was the last one who worshipped the Olympian gods, before Constantine came along and adopted Christianity.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And we care because…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Zagreus told us to go there,” Nico said. His voice was quiet but seemed to echo throughout the room anyway. Everyone, even Hedge, went utterly silent. “He said that the scepter of Diocletian would help us through the House of Hades. If we had followed Hecate’s route through the north, we would’ve passed by on our way to the Adriatic.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To the north. Percy shook his head. “No offense to your brother or anything, but we don’t have time to backtrack through the north. And even if we did, air travel-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is incredibly risky without Leo, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Percy.” Nico spoke his name like it was poison, spitting it out of his mouth with contempt. Percy wanted to both scream at him and retreat into his own skin. “He gave us a way to shadow-travel there. The others-” He cut his eyes at the group sitting around the table. “-have concerns.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Piper dipped her bread into a slab of honey on her plate. “Nico, your brother was… fascinating. But he clearly doesn’t like any of us. It’s not that we don’t trust him but…” She gestured loosely. “I don’t trust him. This could be a trap just to grab you and Hazel and run.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baffled, Percy looked from her to Nico. “Why would he want you and Hazel?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He doesn’t like Olympus,” Frank said. “He was very clear about that. Not in a “I’m on Gaea’s side” way but just sort of a... “if we die, he doesn’t care” kind of way. We had to complete a challenge to get the cookies-” At Percy’s even further baffled face, he added quickly, “-to help us through the House of Hades. Apparently we have to drink poison. The cookies will make sure we don’t, you know… </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He cleared his throat. “If we lost, he said he would take either Nico or Hazel home with him. That we didn’t…” He looked over at Hazel, seated at his side. She wrapped her hand around his. “That we didn’t deserve either of them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Percy said faintly. He looked around the table, only to find morose faces. “That’s… interesting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel only looked apologetic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I already </span>
  <em>
    <span>said</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’ll go alone if you’re so worried,” Nico snapped, pulling focus back to his near hidden presence. “But you’re being ridiculous. Zag may hate Olympus and Olympian gods but that doesn’t mean he wants Gaea to succeed. The overflow of deaths would just mean more work for him and everyone else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy didn’t feel particularly satiated with that being the god’s main motivation for helping them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What if something happens to you? You’re still recovering,” Hazel protested. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll </span>
  </em>
  <span>go instead. The horn works for all Underworld children, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico crossed his arms. “You’ve never shadow-travelled before. The horn will work but you could lose yourself in the shadows.” He cleared his throat and looked down to his feet. “It’s how Dad showed me how to do it and even then, he was with me the entire time. Not having that assistance…” He shook his head. “Either way, I have to come with. There’s no choice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a moment, Percy was struck with a feeling of rage. But not at Nico. At Poseidon, his father. Nico had his dad and, apparently, </span>
  <em>
    <span>godly</span>
  </em>
  <span> siblings to help teach him how to use his powers, but everything Percy had mastered, he’d done by himself, often on accident. He thought back to the hurricane he’d summoned during the battle of New York and was annoyed. If he tried again, he wasn’t sure he could do it again. He barely remembered how he did it the first time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wasn’t that laughable? People considered him powerful but everything he did was guesswork at best.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll go with you then,” Percy suggested. “I mean, I’m always up to punch a god if I need to. And I’ve battled enough of them that I could probably escape with a few hail marys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A rattle of laughter slipped over the table but Nico’s eyes just hardened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want to go with </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then the three of us can do it together,” Hazel said, easily, before Percy could protest, but Nico’s scowl just deepened as he looked away. “I mean-” She pointed to the map unfurled before them. “We’re here, right?” She pointed at a spot. “And there’s an opening in the mountain pass-” She moved her finger. “-here. So the others can fly through while we take our detour to the tomb.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Annabeth considered this plan. Her brows furrowed. She pulled away from Percy’s side, leaning over the table. Her hair had been yanked back into a messy ponytail but it slipped over her shoulder as she looked at the map. “It’s small, but we </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>do it. It would definitely cut down on time and it would mean Percy could go with you two…” She pulled back and crossed her arms. “And without you two on the boat, we may be able to skirt by any rock gods unnoticed.” She glanced up apologetically at Hazel. “No offense.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“None taken,” Hazel laughed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Why do you think Nico said he didn't want to go with me?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Annabeth looked at him from where she was analyzing some of Leo's notes. So far all she knew how to work were the crossbows, increasing the airspeed of the ship and getting the ship to play "Cotton-eyed Joe" at full blast. Beside her was the Archimedes sphere. Percy didn't trust it. He'd seen the way Leo's fingers would fly over it and Percy vividly remembered him activating it only to have it punch him directly in the face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He really didn't want his girlfriend to get punched in the face by a metal circle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't think it's you," she said, looking back down to Leo's notes. She sighed and bound them back into the binder she'd created. "I think everyone has him on edge."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, but he doesn't go out of his way to avoid everyone else," Percy protested. "I just… I don't get it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took a deep breath and tucked the binder away. Standing up, she walked over and cupped Percy's cheeks. "When he ran away, he went into survival mode, right? And during that time, he hated you. Going through Tartarus may have just… reactivated it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So he's avoiding me now… because two years ago he used to hate me." He looked down at her. "Fantastic."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Annabeth snorted and squeezed his cheeks together. "Just don't be a seaweed brain about it, alright? Keep them safe and I'm sure he'll come around. He did it before."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He wasn't traumatized beyond our imagination before though."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyes softened and she looked down. Her hands retreated from his face. "That's true. I guess we'll just have to have hope that he'll be okay. And seek help when he needs it. Even if it's not you that he goes to, Percy."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy sighed. He reached out and squeezed her fingers. She smiled softly at him before raising up to kiss him gently on the cheek. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Come on, Seaweed Brain." She pulled him towards the hallway. "I have a boat to fly and you have a scepter to find."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Maybe we should've switched duties," he muttered as he let her pull him along to the deck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel and Nico were standing by the foremast. Nico was pulled so tight himself, he looked like he was trying to vanish into his clothes. Hazel was hugging Frank.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm gonna be fine," she said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Frank kissed the top of her head and pulled away with great reluctance. "I know." His eyes spoke the rest, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I'm just worried.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he spotted Percy approaching, Nico slid until he was halfway hidden behind Hazel. Tied around his belt was a small black bag. In his right hand he held a half of black severed ram's horn. Looking at it, Percy swore it was moving, as though it was just a mirage of smoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Or shadows</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought. He grinned. "Alright, we ready?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel nodded and took his hand. He looked up to the helm, spotting Annabeth at the wheel. She was already working the controls to heft them into the air. The ship lurched under them. He looked back to the two children of the Underworld before him and reached for Nico's hand. He pulled it away, glaring at Percy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He dropped the ram's horn, grabbed Hazel's wrist and crushed the horn under his foot. It shattered easily. Thick black vapour immediately began springing up from the ground, wrapping around Nico and then Hazel. Percy held tight to Hazel's hand feeling the shadows crawl swiftly over him until he was blinded and all he could see was darkness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shadow-travel was still </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> Percy's preferred method of transportation. He felt like hands were grabbing at him, trying to pull him off of Hazel’s grip. The rushing feeling was cold, almost icy. As they resurfaced, he shuddered, trying to shake off the feeling of being peeled open. Hazel and Nico didn't look disgruntled at all. Hazel looked him over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You okay?" she asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy nodded. "I'm not an Underworld kid. It does not feel fucking natural." He squeezed his knees. "What does it feel like to you?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Taking a step forward." He scowled and she looked away, clearly stifling a giggle. "I mean. Gross. Really bad. Absolute shit."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Liar," he grumbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She snorted and squeezed his hand. “Do you want to take a break?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shook his head and stood back up. “No, I’m okay. I just… haven’t done that in a while.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked over at Nico. “Oh. Did you guys shadow-travel together a lot?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico’s shoulders rose up and he spun on his heel to glare at Percy. Feeling rattled, Percy shook his head quickly. “No. Um, my hellhound, Mrs. O’Leary, can shadow-travel.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel clicked her tongue. “Oh, right!” She smiled up at him. “She was so cute!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She is the cutest hellhound in the world, yes,” Percy agreed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel laughed and gave his hand one more squeezed before they followed Nico forward. Percy looked around. When Annabeth was telling them where they’d be headed, where she knew Diocletian’s tomb would be, she’d called it his palace. The place they were in was not at all a palace.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They seemed to be in the ruins of an old Roman town. Despite the sun that hit the place with a soft light, the destroyed infrastructure just made the scene before them concerning. The crumbling architecture indicated that it hadn’t been populated in centuries. The roads were cracked and overgrown with thick grass and weeds. Moss grew along the stone columns, most of them broken down. Their shattered remains had long since been degrading against the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could see temples and bathhouses as they walked through the area. Half of a theatre had been buried under dirt and rocks. The part of it that was still surface level was covered in trellising vines and moss. Something about it screamed for him to flee, that they were walking into a clear trap, but he could only uncap his sword and keep moving.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they entered the middle of the ruined town, Nico suddenly went still.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” he whispered. He began backing up until he had walked into Hazel, who grabbed at him. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>No, no, no, no</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nico.” She pulled him around and grabbed his face. His eyes didn’t look at her, gazing around at the place as though he’d walked right into a warzone and was seeing horrors. “What’s wrong? What happened? Have you been here before?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He has </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span>, my dear.” Percy swung his sword out to the voice. Laughter echoed around him and the voice reformed a foot away. “But he recognizes my master’s presence, don’t you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Nico</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico stared at the man. His skin had grown even paler and he backed up into Hazel. “No! Why are we here? This isn’t-” He looked around, lost, scared. His voice slipped into a pained whisper. “This isn’t where we were supposed to go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel pulled him into her side and withdrew her own weapon, glaring at the winged man before them. “Where are we?” she demanded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The angel, Percy had no other way to describe him, just laughed again. He wore a red tank top, Bermuda shorts and brown sandals. His wings were a combination of russet colours, like a rooster or a lazy sunset. He had a deep tan and black hair almost as curly as Grover’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am Zephryos to the Greeks, Favonius to the Romans, god of the west wind,” he said with a little bow. As he approached them, he placed a basket of fruit on the surface of a shattered column. “And this is Salona. Capital of Dalmatia. Birthplace of Diocletian.” He smiled, almost warm. Percy only felt cold looking at it. “But before that, long before that, it was the home of my master, as the young one there knows all too well.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked down at Nico with an almost predatory gaze. Hazel shifted until she was shielding her brother with her full body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s wonderful to see you again, young di Angelo.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico glowered at him. “I’ve never met </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He withdrew his own sword, pointing it at the god. “Where is the scepter? What have you done with it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The scepter?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of Dicoletian!” Nico shouted, his voice raised and desperate. His eyes kept shooting around, terrified. He was looking for something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Or someone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unease crawled up Percy’s back. He steadied his sword. He couldn’t see anyone else in the vicinity but he had the horrible feeling he was being watched.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.” Zephryos tilted his head back. “I moved it here for safekeeping. Silly little mortals were ransacking his palace so many millennia ago - cruel of them really. The spot Diocletian built his home was just a calm </span>
  <em>
    <span>loving</span>
  </em>
  <span> place. A favourite of my master, as you know. So I took as many treasures I could carry and brought them here for him. A reminder of better times.” He smiled. His eyes never strayed from Nico’s face. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Loving</span>
  </em>
  <span> times.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He walked forward. Hazel swiped at him with her sword and he just vanished into a warm breeze, reappearing in between the two of them, his hands sliding through Nico’s hair before he vanished before either Percy or Hazel could stab at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Reappearing at the foot of another column, he said, “My master may be willing to give it up to you. I remember when you’d come to Diocletian’s Palace, hoping to see a glimpse of his face.” He smiled. “You were such a young boy then. He’d hoped you would enter into the building one day, true of yourself, but, alas, you never did.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico looked like he was going to throw up. Hazel’s brows furrowed. Percy felt just as confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve always been true to myself,” Nico snapped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not recently,” Zephyros said and his voice whispered around them as he spoke. “You’ve been a coward, haven’t you? All the troubles you've gone through for the one you care for most and you can’t even tell-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“SHUT UP!” Nico screamed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The force of his voice rattled through Percy’s core. Raw unfiltered power exuded from him, causing the ground to rumble. He stumbled, nearly colliding with Hazel. The grass under them died immediately, almost turning to ash.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As though disappointed, Zephryos sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico pointed his sword at him. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Do not</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he said, voice wavering with unbridled rage, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>say another word</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is not I who has to admit the truth, Nico,” the god said. “It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Only then will my master allow you to have the scepter.” He vanished and reappeared behind them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy swung around. The sun glinted off his sword, shining against the god’s face like a target. “Who’s your master? Why isn’t he here, instead of you? Too busy to fuck around with a group of demigods?” He sneered. “Or too </span>
  <em>
    <span>scared</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unbothered by the taunt, Zephyros laughed. “My master is Eros.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cupid?” Hazel frowned. “The god of love?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, daughter of the Underworld, the god of </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he said. He smiled gently. “You see, I fell in love with a mortal named Hyacinthus. He was quite extraordinary. Apollo saw that in him too, but he claimed they were only friends. Either way, I was jealous and one day, I sent a heavy metal ring at his beautiful face. He died.” Zephyros’s fingers twitched in the air. A red flower bloomed against his palm. “Became such a beautiful flower. Eros took pity on me. I’d been driving mad with love. He offered his protection and I took it, agreeing to work for him forever.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His smile faded and he crushed the flower in his fist. When he opened it again, the crushed flower fell from his hand and floated away. He looked up at the group, something between pain and misery in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whenever someone approaches this place, I am to let him know and stall them until he arrives,” he explained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel tilted her sword, her eyes hard.  “So where the fuck is he then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Watching.” Zephyros looked away from them. “He always likes to watch love in action.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Even when it commits murder?” Percy shot back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zephyros regarded him carefully. His eyes were unguarded, amused. “I have always admitted my love when needed. Even when others hurt me for them and even when I hurt others for them, I was truthful,” he said. His eyes shifted from Percy to Nico. “So I ask, Nico di Angelo, can </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>do the same?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He disappeared again, into a swirl of red and gold and this time, he didn’t reappear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Nico</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a voice whispered, different from Zephyros. This voice was deep and rich, but with an undercurrent of a threat, like the initial tremor right before an earthquake.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico shook where he stood. “No, no, no, no.” He grabbed Hazel, fumbling at the bag on his hip. “We have to leave.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But the scepter-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>We’ll find something else</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Nico shouted, but his words only came out as a dry hiss. The bag ripped off his hip and scattered several feet away. He let out a loud noise - something between a sob and scream - and scrambled backwards. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Do not run, little demigod</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the voice echoed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy looked around. “Eros?” he asked, tentatively.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The voice laughed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So you’ve heard of me</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The sound shot past Percy’s ear like a bullet. He spun on his heel, backing up against Nico, effectively shielding him between his back and Hazel’s. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Step aside, demigods. This is not your trial.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leave my brother alone!” Hazel shouted but that only seemed to piss the god off more. Percy heard her scream out and when he turned, he saw her scattered on the ground several feet away, as though she’d been hit by a moving car. He was about to run to her when something slammed into his chest. He flew down the cracked street, the back of his head just barely grazing the side of another shattered column. He groaned as he landed onto the hard earth. The grass beneath him did nothing to soften the blow</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he rose unsteadily to his feet, he saw Nico run to Hazel, pulling her up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy hefted his sword. “I thought love was supposed to be kind!” he shouted out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt the air ripple behind and swung his sword quickly. It glanced off something solid. Golden blood whipped into the air, splattering against the ground before he was yanked back. He joined the others, sprawled out at their feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Love is kind</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Eros agreed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>But it can be cruel and selfish. Even without meaning to be. Nico certainly knows that better than anyone.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An arrow materialized just an inch before his face. He shouted and rolled out of the way. Hazel grabbed Nico and dragged him off. The arrow hit the ground and exploded. Rubble  and dirt rained down around them. Coughing through the debris that hit his breath, Percy scrambled up and ran towards the two, pulling them out of the way as a column collapsed and smashed right into the spot they’d been.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just give us the scepter!” he shouted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You are not a child of the dead and you are not an officer of Rome,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Eros said. An arrow shot at Percy’s face. He dodged it, only for debris and rubble to rain down on his head. He groaned as a piece of concrete smacked him in the cheek. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You cannot wield it</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am both those things!” Hazel shouted. She deflected another air off her sword. It hit the ground and exploded into white hot flames. “Fucking give it to me then!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Daughter of Pluto, </span>
  </em>
  <span>the god laughed. Another arrow appeared, almost hitting her in the face. Nico shoved her out of the way and scrambled in the opposite direction as it exploded behind them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You cannot control the dead. Not nearly as well as you should be able to. You are not ready. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy pulled her up. “What the fuck do you want from us?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Nico knows what needs to be done.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they looked at him, across the street, he was frozen still, staring at the two of them with abject horror in his eyes. His legs quaked under him. He looked like he was second from keeling over where he stood. “No,” he whispered. He started backing up. His eyes wouldn’t stop moving. “You can’t make me do this. Not now.” His voice turned rasped and broken. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Not like this.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p><em><span>Poor Nico di Angelo</span></em><span>, the god mocked. </span><em><span>You were so desperate to look upon the true face of love as a child. Hopeful to see your other half in my eyes.</span></em> <em><span>My wife, Psyche, was much like you. She was brought here aeons ago, when this was the site of my palace. We met only in the dark. She was warned never to look upon me, and yet she could not stand the mystery. She feared I was a monster. One night, she lit a candle, and beheld my face as I slept.</span></em></p>
<p>
  <span>Nico covered his ears. His sword clattered to the ground beside him. Another arrow materialized, almost snaking his arm but Hazel shot forward and tackled him before it could hit him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leave him alone!” Percy shouted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was thrown backwards. The air weighed down on his chest, as though someone was kneeling on him. He threw a punch to the air above him and the weight vanished, leaving only a chiding laugh in its place. He grabbed his sword.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>A mortal cannot gaze upon the true appearance of a god without suffering consequences. My mother, Aphrodite, cursed Psyche for her distrust. My poor lover was tormented, forced into exile, given horrible tasks to prove her worth. She was even sent to the Underworld on a quest to show her dedication. She earned her way back to my side, but she suffered greatly. I was too handsome for her own good. And it almost destroyed her. </span>
  </em>
  <span>An arrow shot down behind Nico, sinking into his arm before either one of them could notice it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You know what that’s like, don’t you, Nico?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He screamed out, even as the arrow dissolved into a pink swirl of air. His voice was a snarl of rage and pain. “Just give us the scepter! We don’t have time your </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid</span>
  </em>
  <span> games!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Games?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Eros struck, slapping Nico sideways into a granite pedestal. Hazel screamed. The ground rumbled beneath their feet. Precious metals began to sprout in hordes from under the grass, cracking the concrete beneath them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Love is no game! There is no flowery softness! It is hard work, a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you, especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy ran for Nico’s scattered sword, scooping it up before he ran to the others. He reached them, panting. Blood dripped down his cheek. He wiped it away, leaning against the nearest wall. Inhaling debris and his lack of sleep combined with dealing with Eros, an invisible force, had him wheezing. Hazel’s eyes were frazzled, searching for someone they couldn’t see. Her skin, like Percy’s had been, scraped to hell. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ares had been an easier fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy tried to push Nico's sword into his hands but the moment he noticed Percy, he backed up away from them both. Hazel reached out to him, trying to pull him back but the god only slammed them both into the ground, leaving Nico to fend for himself, alone and weaponless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Tell them, Nico di Angelo, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Eros said, his voice a swirling threat, echoing everywhere. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tell them you’re a coward. Tell them why you hide. Tell them why you really ran away the first time, why you hid from him. Why you continue to hide now. Even as he seeks you out.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Covering his ears, Nico dropped to his knees and let loose a guttural scream. The ground at his feet split open. Dead Romans with missing hands and caved-in skulls, cracked ribs and jaws unhinged emerged from the crevice. Some were dressed in the remnants of togas. Others had glinting pieces of armour hanging off their chests. Shadowed vapour began to roll against the ground. Percy struggled to his feet again and realized that the shadows weren’t emerging from the crevice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were leaking out of Nico.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Will you hide among the dead, as you always do?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Eros taunted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How well did that work in Tartarus?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Nico screamed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Waves of darkness curdled the ground. Eros let out a grunt, his invisible form grappling around the shadows before they faded away from him. Another arrow whizzed through the air. It skated by Nico’s ear by a fraction of an inch. Hazel let out another rage-filled shriek, the earth moving with her anger. She bolted forward to help him but Eros just slammed her backwards again. Her back collided with Percy’s chest and they both collapsed back to the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What are you</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Eros whispered, his voice nothing but mirth and mocking laughter. The shadows rose up like sharpened spikes. Golden blood splattered against the ground. The god just continued to laugh, even as his blood pebbled the ground.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Coward</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico’s entire form seemed to simmer, as though he was boiling alive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I AM NOT A COWARD!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The second blast of shadows hit Percy this time, blinding him. For a moment, he thought he’d been sent through the shadows again but Hazel was still on top of him and her skin was warm, rather than frozen. As soon as his vision cleared, he saw a scattering of images, rattling around inside his head. Emotions pooled out of the shadows, imbuing them both with someone else’s thoughts to the images they saw.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To the memories.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy’s stomach crawled as he realized what he was seeing. Nico’s memories, his thoughts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He saw Nico and Bianca standing on a snowy cliff in Maine, clutching each other as Percy protected them from the manticore. Admiration hit the real him in the gut, almost crippling him with its strength. The first demigod Nico had ever seen. He was excited, amazed. Completely entranced by the vision before him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The scene cut to Camp Half-Blood, Percy taking Nico by the arm, promising to keep Bianca safe. His eyes were sparkling, the subject of Nico’s focus, sea-green and gorgeous. This is a real hero, Nico had thought. His favourite game, Mythomagic, brought to life. His admiration for Percy only grew heavier. He couldn't stop looking at Percy's eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Percy thought. There was no way…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel’s hand grabbed at him but the smack to his jaw didn’t shake the images running through his head, the images that were probably running through her own head too, leaving her just as blind to everything else as he was. Nico's emotions were too strong. Percy could barely keep himself conscious as he was forced to watch the memories unfold.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They watched the moment when Percy had returned and had told Nico that Bianca was dead. Nico was screaming at him, calling him a liar, pushing him away and running. The earth split under them, skeletons rising from the crevice, and he was so terrified and angry. Betrayal hit him hard but something else was there, deeper in Nico’s chest and he hated it because it shouldn't have been there. Not when Percy had let his sister die. How could he still feel this way after that?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The scene changed again and again. Percy wanted to rip the images from his head. He wanted them </span>
  <em>
    <span>out</span>
  </em>
  <span>. These were private thoughts. He had no right to be seeing them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The moment that Nico had come to him on his birthday, his joy, his hope when Percy asked him to join them for cake, the time he had presented Percy to Hades only for Percy to be thrown into jail, Percy choking him and the disappointment, the self-hatred he felt at what he’d done, for upsetting him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Percy gasped. Hot tears pricked the edges of his eyes. “Stop… please…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing Annabeth kiss Percy for the first time, the two of them smiling at each other, not even noticing him as they looked out at the horizon on the beach. The flowers in his hands, carefully chosen and plucked from his step-mother’s garden, died with his grief. He dropped them to the ground and they blew away with the breeze. He ran away again - from Percy, from his own emotions, from his laughable and shattered hope.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy squeezed his eyes shut but the images just blared behind his eyelids. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Stop</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Eros whispered. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Real love rarely ever stops. It may change form but it doesn’t ever go away.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The scenes and emotions just kept going - Nico waking up to find Percy petting his hair during the night he'd crashed at the apartment and pretending to be asleep just feel Percy's hand for a little while longer, feeling nothing but anguish when he discovered Percy was missing, searching the Underworld for him, a plan to sneak him out already formed, finally stumbling into an amnesiac Percy months later and immediately becoming attached to his pretty green eyes again, always unable to look away from them, fighting his way through Tartarus only to be caught and mocked by a dozen giants for his emotions as they batted him around like a toy, laughing when he said-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“NO!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another wave slammed into them. Columns blasted backwards. Percy’s vision cleared again. He could see dozens of skeletons grabbling with an invisible force. Hazel pushed up but even she couldn’t raise herself, still overwhelmed with what they’d seen, the emotions they'd experienced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Admit the truth</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Eros said. Some of the skeletons blasted off him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Be honest</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy struggled to push himself up. He couldn’t move his mouth, couldn’t move himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he wanted to say. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You don’t have to.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico sobbed. Still on his knees, he fell to his calves. His pants had been sliced open, his knees bleeding. His arms were loose at his sides. He looked defeated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Tell him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Percy muttered, but he could barely hear himself, his tongue sluggish in his mouth. Nico’s eyes were red with tears as he turned to face them. “No. Don’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Percy, I-” His voice cut off. There was nothing but pain and anguish. It leaked out of him, a force that kept Percy and Hazel pinned in place with its intensity. “I- I- I never liked Annabeth.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Stop</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Percy wanted to scream. He didn’t want to hear the rest. He thought of his hands wrapped around Nico’s throat and the emotions Nico had felt at the time. No anger. Only disappointment for not proving himself to Percy as someone worthy of caring about.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy thought of all things he’d asked of him, pulling him along, messing with his mind without realizing it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It can be cruel and selfish, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Eros had said.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Even without meaning to be. Nico certainly knows that better than anyone.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy wanted to throw up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico’s voice quavered. “I-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No. Don’t.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you, Percy,” The air around them went still. Even the skeletons had frozen against Eros. Nico’s voice wretched out of him, like it was shattered glass, a sob echoing inside the words. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I never stopped.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, Eros materialized into a solid form, shaking off frozen skeletal soldiers as Nico stared at Percy. He was too shocked to look away from Nico's black eyes. To the side, he felt the god looking at him, felt a wave of expectations radiating from him, and realized that the god was waiting on him to say something. Panic bloomed in his throat. His breath trapped inside it, like a web of  fear holding it back. What was he supposed to say?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t love Nico back, not in the same way anyway, but what did Eros want from him? To admit that? That would just be cruel and it wouldn’t be in an unintentional way this time. He would just be digging the blade in deeper knowingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nico,” his voice cracked. “I-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel slapped her hand over his mouth. “No,” she whispered. “Percy, you have to leave.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He yanked his gaze from Nico's pointed stare to look at her. “Wha-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She struggled off him, stumbling unsteady to her feet. “You have to go right now. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Leave.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stared at her, baffled. Behind her, Nico was looking away from Percy. His jaw had fallen open and  he was covering his mouth, shaking from head to toe, as though what he’d just admitted had just sunk in. The shadows beneath him began to quaver with him, writhing like a pile of snakes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stomach curling, Percy rose to his feet. “I-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Hazel pointed her sword at him, her eyes were dark and angry, rimmed red and still glinting with wetness. The tip of her weapon was only a half-inch away from his chest. It shimmered dangerously off the sun’s light. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Leave</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she snapped, her voice an order and a threat. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Now!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stumbled backwards, grabbing Riptide from where it had fallen to the ground, before he turned around. He walked quickly down the street, speeding up until he was running over the cracked, overgrown foundation. Behind him, he heard Nico scream again, a solidly loud wail of anguish and despair that rattled the earth beneath them. And deep in his chest, he felt nothing but pain.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’d been sitting by the waterside for half an hour before Eros sat down beside him. Wandering the ruins of the town in a hazed out daze, he’d found a small sandy path and had travelled down until he was on a small tiny beach. A destroyed house sat on the edge. Slashes from his sword were etched into the wall now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t care. He had nothing else to hit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Normally sitting by the ocean side would be calming, the feeling of being close to his element relaxing him, but it hadn’t worked so far. He was still pulsulating with anger and self-hatred and copious amounts of guilt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eros sat only a foot away. He was lean, muscular with giant snowy white wings. As though he were just a normal person, he wore jean shorts and a plain light pink shirt. In the visible light, Percy found it hard to look at his face, only able to take in his straight black hair and blood-red eyes. If he looked slowly around Eros’s face, taking him in one feature at a time, he could piece together a handsome man with a jawline sharp enough to cut steel.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anger ran through him but even with Riptide in his hands, he couldn’t find it in himself to attack. “I hate you,” he said instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eros laughed. “Many people think that they do. You are not alone in that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t have to do that to him.” Percy squeezed his eyes shut. “Not while I was there. You could’ve sent me away.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And what would that have done?” Eros whispered, his voice like a sweet caress forcibly gripping Percy’s jaw. Percy felt his head turn to face the god. “He would have continued to deny himself. Lied to himself and his sister that it was only a </span>
  <em>
    <span>crush</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But he could never lie to you, could he?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy glared at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you are different, </span>
  <em>
    <span>special</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Eros laughed and it wasn’t mocking but it wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>kind</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “He loved many boys before you, but you are his </span>
  <em>
    <span>favourite</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He will never get over you.” His voice changed, mimicking Nico’s in a way that had Percy’s skin crawling violently. “You’re a real life hero!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Percy snarled. He didn’t want to hear Nico’s voice coming from such an </span>
  <em>
    <span>asshole</span>
  </em>
  <span> of a god.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eros cocked his head. His voice turned back to normal. “Does that upset you, Percy Jackson?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why wouldn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why</span>
  <em>
    <span> would </span>
  </em>
  <span>it?” Eros countered. “Why does it upset you to know you are loved?” Percy just kept glaring at him. The force on his jaw was beginning to ache but Eros didn’t let him go. “Does it upset you because you cannot reciprocate? Or does it upset you because you realize your actions hurt him far more than you knew?” The force on his jaw tightened. “Tell me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Both</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Percy gritted out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The force relaxed but didn’t vanish. “Would you die for him?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Haven't you heard?" Percy hissed with a mocking smile. The water beneath their feet began to ripple violently, as though boiling with Percy’s rage. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Loyalty is my fatal flaw</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eros smirked. His lips were flushed pink, a perfect target against his pale skin. Percy wanted to sink his fist right into them. "Would you tell him?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew exactly what Eros was talking about and wrenched himself back, shooting to his feet. Sand scattered everywhere. The god had the nerve to look amused. "What good would that serve?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico being in love with him baffled Percy but only to the extent of it being Nico, or really anyone. He barely understood why Annabeth liked him but for whatever reason she did and he would work at it constantly to keep her liking him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boys being attracted to boys was not news to him. Especially since, he also liked guys. But Percy was the type of person who never really took stock of his own emotions. Even teasing flirty banter with Annabeth had only hit him as teasing flirty banter </span>
  <em>
    <span>after </span>
  </em>
  <span>they'd started going out. He knew men were attractive, knew women were attractive and didn't really think much farther than that. There was so much going on in his life at any given moment, he didn’t really have the opportunity to explore it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Telling Nico he liked boys too - that would just be a slap in the face to the other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Actually, Nico, I do like guys, just not you, sorry!</span>
  </em>
  <span> What kind of asshole would say or do that? Especially with what he'd just seen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Just go away!" he snapped, waving his sword at the god. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eros vanished before Riptide could hit him again, appearing on the other side of the beach. "Love comes in many forms, Percy Jackson," he said. "You shouldn't feel guilty for yours not matching his."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy glared at him, ready to curse him off when his wings withdrew. With a powerful flap, he was gone, vanishing into the wind, leaving Percy behind, windblown and annoyed. He turned and began slashing at the crumbling concrete wall again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few minutes later, Hazel's voice called out to him. "Percy?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Here!" he said with a final smack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Turning around, he saw Hazel peeking behind a bush. Her eyes took in the angry slashes he'd made. She stepped out fully, and crossed her arms. "Sorry, I sent you away, I just-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's okay." He capped Riptide and put it away in his pocket. "I get it."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel nodded. "We have the scepter. And I, uh, I bullied Eros into-" She exhaled sharply. "-into giving Nico a covering. He, um-” Her eyes caught his, dark as they were and carefully guarded. “He doesn't really want to see you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy grit his teeth and looked over to the water, still rippling at the beach's edge. "Awesome."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel nodded. "Come on. We're all ready to go. Are you…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy nodded, punching the wall right before he walked past her. The pain bloomed against his knuckles but it helped ease some of the raring anger he still felt. Hazel followed at his side, her head ducked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took them a few minutes to make it back to the center of the town. The center was utterly destroyed now, less than just tattered remains. Shadowy tendrils clung to the stone walls and shattered columns. The overgrown grass beneath their feet was gone, leaving behind ash atop the dirt. Skeletons were scattered around but, like everything else, they'd been torn apart and broken beyond recognition.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico stood in the middle, a giant blanket swaddled around him. The scepter stuck out of the swaddle, blocking most of his face. When he looked over to the approaching noises, he squeezed his eyes shut and yanked the top of the swaddle down over his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy swallowed thickly, standing a foot away as Hazel pulled out the other half of the ram's horn. She placed it under her foot, gathering Nico into her side. He pressed his face so deeply into her shoulder, Percy couldn't even see him anymore. Just a giant burrito shaped blanket trembling. Hazel held her hand out to Percy. He didn't step any closer but closed his hand over hers. She smiled grimly and smashed the ram's horn with her foot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The shadows swallowed them whole once more.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hazel whisked Nico off to her cabin the moment they arrived back to the ship. Percy shrugged off everyone else's words, their questions about what had happened, and left to go hide in his room. Despite what Eros had said, he still felt guilty. Why wouldn't he? The confession wasn't even of Nico's own volition, forced out of him the most cruel and malicious possible way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he crawled into his bed, hiding under his blankets like a child, wishing the echoing images would shut the fuck up already, he felt grateful that Hazel had been there. If it had just been him and Nico alone… he didn't know what would have happened. He would've stuck around and likely caused Nico more anguish. More pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>More suffering.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico didn't need to suffer. He'd already been through too much.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An hour later, a knock sounded at his door and Annabeth peeked in. "Hey," she said. She closed the door and sat down at the edge of his bed. "We made it through the opening. Clear skies all the way to the Adriatic Sea." He didn't look at her, pulling his blanket over his head. "Percy, what happened?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I can't tell you," he said. "It's not my place."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She peeled back his blanket, kicked off her shoes and snuck into the bed with him. He rolled over onto his side and looked at her - golden curls, gray eyes. His Wise Girl.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why do you love me?" he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Annabeth looked at him. Then she reached up and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "You're sweet. Strong. Kind. Determined. You're loyal to a fault. You can cook. You have a horrible sense of humour and you're pretty. What's not to love?" He looked down. Her fingers curved over the side of his face. "Percy, what happened?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We met Eros," Percy said. "And he did a bunch of really fucked up shit and now I'm just…"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For what would definitely not be the last time, Annabeth's eyes bore into his, like he was a puzzle she was trying to put together. "Did he question our relationship?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah." She closed her eyes. "He told you that Nico loves you, didn't he?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy's breath caught in his throat. He pushed up, looking down at her. "How did you-"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I know what loving you looks like, Percy." She pushed up until she was seated. "What happened?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy felt horrible for accidentally spilling Nico's secret but he explained as quickly and concisely as he could without going into too much detail on what he'd experienced. He drew his knees to his chest and looked at her as he finished. She had looked away from him halfway through the story of events, pain flittering through her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She inhaled like she was going to say something then clicked her jaw shut. Her fingers ran through her hair, shaking out her ponytail before redoing it over. She crossed her legs and looked down at her hands. She folded them over each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm beginning to really hate the gods," she said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy laughed. "Join the club.” He pulled his blanket up over his head. “We meet every Friday and throw rocks at their statues."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a little snort, she smiled wearily at him. "Eros is right though. You shouldn't feel guilty you can't reciprocate his emotions in the same way and… I don't think he necessarily wants you to."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy frowned. "What do you mean?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, for starters, I don't think his secret was that he was ashamed to like you so much as that he just did," she explained. "You said that at Camp Jupiter he was nice, if evasive. He didn't hate you then. He wasn't ashamed of his emotions. If he were, he wouldn't have been civil." She looked at her hands again. "I think… when he went through Tartarus… something happened obviously and his feelings for you - they were probably used when the giants were torturing him. Being around you probably just… reminds him of what they said. Or did."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy thought about the last vision he'd seen before Nico had put a final stop to it all. The giants and monsters batting him around. He was splayed out on the ground and they were laughing at him as he bled out. Mocking him… for believing Percy would come for him. That he would save him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The realization just made him want to throw up again. He pressed his face into his knees.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nico didn't feel ashamed for being gay. No, he felt embarrassed because he fell for someone who didn't care for him in the same way. A fact that had been used to hurt him in between beatings. A fact he didn't want Percy to know.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A fact Percy had running through his head in spades now. Nico hadn’t managed to cut the memory off in time. Percy heard what the giants had said, and what they had done. If that was only a portion of Nico’s time in Tartarus, he didn’t want to know about the rest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He just wanted to drag Nico into his arms and console him until he was magically cured of all his pains and traumas.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Annabeth's hands swept through his hair. "Nico's emotions are not your fault. And I don't think he'd want you to believe that they are." She pulled him into her chest and ran her hands down his back, soothing him as they laid back down together. "Just give him some space. This can't be easy to deal with."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I just feel like crap."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I know." She kissed the top of his head. "You have to let him breathe. He needs to be able to learn how to deal with this without you crowding him."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy closed his eyes, pressing his face into her clothed stomach. She was right, of course, when wasn't she? But he had always cared for Nico, always wanted to help him, especially since he'd always been under the impression that Nico had no one else to do that for him. Pulling away, not reaching out to apologize or </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> - it didn't sit right with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he knew Annabeth was right. If he were Nico, he wouldn't want himself to be crowding him. He'd want space to scream and cry without feeling stupid for having emotions. He wouldn't want the occasional subject of his pain to be anywhere near him. He’d want to be alone - with maybe his sister at his side and absolutely no one else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the lurch of the boat and Annabeth's warmth help him drift off to sleep.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>
  <i>EMOTIONAL TORMENT, BABY!! </i>
</p>
<p>also, note: the following chapters will be coming out a lot more sporadically because one) I wrote the last five chapters while on vacation and now I'm back at work and two) I am so fucking tired, guys. <a href="https://hk44.carrd.co/">Links</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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